


Monkey Wrench!

by s_u_n_b_i_r_d



Category: Xiaolin Showdown (Cartoon)
Genre: Alcohol, Angst all in this beeyatch, Blood and Injury, Blood and Violence, Body Horror, Cigarettes, Emotional Abuse, F/M, Gen, Guilt, I'm Sorry, It takes time to write and there's a lot to get through, Loss, Loss of Limbs, Lots of OCs - Freeform, M/M, Major Character Injury, Mental Abuse, Multi, OCs - Freeform, OT3, Other, Possible Character Death, Slow Burn, and an OC as a main character, anyways i think that's all the tags i need in here at the present moment, bear with me guys, but i suppose there are some elements of both present, but trust me it's for character development, friendship fic, i may add on, i'm not sure if this counts as a sequel fic, let's rip that bandaid off right now, oh it gets dark, or a fix it fic, please keep an eye on this in the future, psychological abuse, thank you for reading, uhhh what else do i tag this?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2019-08-01 19:03:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 129,760
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16290056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/s_u_n_b_i_r_d/pseuds/s_u_n_b_i_r_d
Summary: Jack Spicer is no one’s favorite. Always the underdog, always the weirdo, always the loser. After months of stagnation and failure, his dreams of world domination, the dreams that he’s been chasing for most of his life, are finally starting to fade.And then suddenly he finds himself holding the Wu with the power to make it all happen.A power that can rearrange the natural order. A power that can make everyone else on the Xiaolin or Heylin side bow down and show some respect. A power that can finally cement him as the lord and master of every last thing on the face of the planet.The catch? He’s not the only one who has it.After one bad decision tosses them together, Jack, Jermaine, and a mysterious girl find themselves on a wild adventure around the world, while the Xiaolin and the Heylin scramble to get to them - and the Wu they possess - before the other side does. But as time goes on, secrets start to come to light, old grudges are dug up, and the fate of the future lies in the hands of three teenagers who have no business being together.Can their friendship save the world? Or were they doomed from the start?The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single misstep.





	1. Gong Yi Tan Pai!

**Author's Note:**

> My name is s_u_n_b_i_r_d, and I'm new around here. Hello!
> 
> After years and years of writing this story on and off, scene to scene, I finally decided to be brave and start posting it. It's still nowhere near complete, but I think it's high time I got this out there. Striving for perfection is noble, but waiting until perfection is achieved is just stupid. I'll never be perfect. This work will have mistakes. And it's gonna take a good while to finish it. But I'ma write it anyways, and do the best I can to keep it fresh and interesting, and I hope y'all enjoy the ride.
> 
> This is my first fanfic, and I wrote it because I am a person who has always dreamed of adventure. And also, for one other reason I won't tell you until this fic is finished.
> 
> With that said, thank you for clicking on this and giving this story a chance. Leave a comment! Leave criticism! And enjoy! I hope you like it.

Deep in the heart of Istanbul, a teenage boy walked in search of ancient magic.

Not one person he walked by paid any particular attention to him, and he paid no particular attention to them, so focused was he on his mission. He walked through busy intersections and past restaurants and apartments, through streets that were centuries upon centuries old, until he came to a large entrance made of white stone. The sounds of bustling crowds could be heard just inside, and over the archway were the words “Grand Bazaar.”

He stopped, perplexed, and glanced down at his shoulder at something from within his white hoodie. “So, what’s the verdict Dojo? We going in?”

At the sound of his words, a small green dragon slithered out from the shade of the boy’s hoodie, no bigger than a garden snake. It paused as if he was listening for something no one else could hear, and nodded. “Yep. It’s definitely in there. Wow,” he said, blinking in the sunlight with awe. “This place has certainly changed in the last 500 years.”

Behind them, another boy, tall and broad shouldered with a face full of freckles, was trying his best to navigate through a passing crowd. For someone of his size, it wasn’t easy, but finally, he managed to get by them and stand next to his friend as he took the large brown cowboy hat off his head. “Hoo-ee.” he said, running a hand through his light blonde hair as he peered into the entrance way, astonished. “That place is more crowded than the Bailey Ranch around the holidays.”

On this boy’s other side, a short and pretty Japanese girl came to a stop and shrugged, her bright blue eyes scanning the screen of her phone eagerly. “It’s The Grand Bazaar of Istanbul, Clay. This place has been a shopping mecca since…the 1400s. It’s one of the most visited places in the whole world.” She put her phone away and followed her comrades through the entrance, allowing herself to take in the sights.

The marketplace really was a sight to behold. None of the travel sites or photos she had skimmed through really did any of it justice. It was a rainbow of sights, sounds and smells, so extravagantly beautiful and intense that it almost made her dizzy. Everywhere she looked there were shops filled with vendors eagerly promoting their wares while customers milled around, some in deep thought over the items that caught their eye, some in intense haggling wars with the shop owners. There were lanterns, and bowls of spices and fruits, chunks of candy that looked like jewels, and carpets and pottery with intricate, delicate designs. There was music, there was delicious smelling food, and everywhere she looked there were beautiful, BEAUTIFUL dresses that she had to mentally force herself to walk away from. 

_Focus, girl._ She said to herself as she pried her gaze off of a particularly gorgeous red shawl. _You’re on duty. You can always circle back later when your mission is done._

Next to her, the boy in the hoodie smiled knowingly. He elbowed her gently and winked at her surprised expression. “Don’t worry. When we’re done, we can shop ‘till we drop and then some. Promise.”

She smiled back, but only for a moment before her brow furrowed in thought. “This place really is huge, though. How are we supposed to find what we’re looking for in all of this?”

“It will be difficult, but it must be done.”

A young Chinese boy, younger than the rest of his team, stood on the top of a nearby shop, looking out and over the crowds of people. “The Scale of Anubis is one of the most useful Shen Gong Wu there is. It weighs your words and measures the truth within them. We must find it as soon as possible.”

“Don’t worry, partner, we’ll rustle it up somehow.”

Rai grinned. “We always do.”

“A lie-detecting Shen Gong Wu would be a pretty neat add to our collection,” said Kimiko, nodding in agreement. “Think of how much of an advantage it would give us in the battle between good and evil.”

“It’d make it a lot harder for crooks like Wuya or Chase Young to pull a fast one on us,” said Clay. “Heck, maybe it’d make it impossible for them.”

“It would also come in handy if we played Truth or Dare.”

Kimiko, Clay and Omi raised their eyebrows at their leader, and he shrugged, a bashful smile on his face. “Hey, I’m just saying. All work and no play makes Raimundo a dull boy.”

Kimiko grinned fondly up at him, shaking her head. “Always the picture of leadership, aren’t you?” 

“Well, then what are we waiting for?” asked Dojo, crawling out of Raimundo’s hoodie and leaping down to curl himself around the teen’s arm. “Let’s find that Wu, kids!”

The five of them walked through the bazaar for a long, long time. They combed every store, every restaurant, and even went to far as to check every restroom. Every time Dojo felt the energy of the Wu vibrating somewhere nearby, they would lose it in the crowd, and be left back at square one. Outside, the sun rose higher in the sky.

Finally, after hours of fruitless searching, they stepped outside, desperate to take a break from the crowded halls of the bazaar.

“Ay yi yi, I’m beat,” groaned Raimundo as he sunk onto a bench.

“Tell me about it,” said Dojo, crawling off of the boy’s shoulder and stretching himself out on the wood. “Whoof. That Shen Gong Wu is CLOSE, REAL. CLOSE. But it’s hard to focus with all these people and their Chi bouncing around every which way. Makes the Shen Gong Wu’s own energy hard to track. Agh, I’m getting too old for this.” He ran a small claw over his face, blinking sleepily. “I need a drink.”

Clay took off his hat and wiped his forehead with a hankerchief, Dojo’s words reminding him just how dry his own lips were. He leaned against a tree and looked down the street, when something caught his eye. A man was coming up the road carrying a silver tray in front of him. As he came closer, Clay could see that the tray was full of empty teacups, and a warm, familiar smell reached him at the same time he saw the man walk into a nearby building with a sign over the doorway that read – 

“’Tea….House.’ A tea house! Say,” he said, turning to his friends and thumbing back at the building, “How ‘bout we wet our whistles there for a spell? It’s like Mama always said – you can’t run on empty.”

“Sure, why not?” sighed Kimiko, pulling herself up off the bench she had been sittng on. “I could use a cup right about now.”

Omi frowned, narrowing his eyes in disapproval. “Your mother’s wisdom is sound, Clay, but we have a mission. I am not sure if we should be taking a break so so–“ He paused. Another delivery man had walked out of the tea house with a tray of his own, and as he passed the Xiaolin Crew, the scent of rich black tea hit Omi’s nostrils. His expression changed into one of delight as he began to walk over to the building himself. “Eh, perhaps maybe just a quick lift-me-up would do me good.”

“That’s 'pick-me-up,' Omi,” said Raimundo, grinning despite his exhaustion. Taking a deep breath in, he flipped backwards, his hands catching on the back of the bench, and somersaulted off of it, landing perfectly on his feet. “You coming, Dojo?”

“Can’t hear you kid!” said the Dragon as he crawled after Omi as fast as his legless body could carry him. “You’re gonna have to keep up!”

Raimundo shook his head before jogging after his team.

The five walked through the doorway into a warmly lit room full of tapestries and wooden tables, with many patrons chatting over their tea and a group in the corner playing a game of chess. Kimiko, the Dragon who had mastered more languages out of all of them thus far, got to work placing their order to an old man behind the counter, nodding at her (surprisingly smooth) Turkish with a smile. 

Clay watched her speak and was trying to translate her words in his head before he felt something on his shoulder go stiff. Dojo was spasming this way and that, twitching and shuddering before he began to move from one shoulder to the next, like a cat looking for prey. “Uh, you okay, partner?” asked Clay, eyeing him with concern.

“I got a grasp on that Wu again,” said Dojo, half-distracted.

Raimundo pinched the bridge of his nose. “Okay, you’ve been saying that since this morning, and the sun’s going down in, like, half an hour dude.”

“No, I..I feel it,” insisted Dojo, zipping up on top of Clay’s hat for a better view. “It’s here. It’s in here. It’s….THERE.”

Dojo pointed at the old man behind the counter – no, not at the old man, at the shelf behind him. In the midst of the jars and cups, there was a single set of scales, black and gold, and the boys watched as the man took them down from the shelf, brought it to the counter, and began to measure the leaves for their tea with them. Upon closer inspection, the pale, colorless jewels on the scales glinted with a very familiar light.

Clay shook Kimiko and Omi’s shoulders, breaking them out of their conversation about tea. “Fellas. You see what I see?”

The two turned to look, and Omi’s face lit up with excitement at the sight of the Wu in front of him. “The Scale of Anubis!” He took a step forward, almost leaping onto the counter in his eagerness. “Excuse me, sir,” he said in shaky Turkish, “May I ask-?”

But in the middle of his sentence his words came to a halt. A chill had gone up his spine, and his stomach began to sink at the realization that something was about to happen. 

At the exact same time, behind him, Raimundo felt the same twinge of anticipation as his own Tiger Instincts kicked in. Omi looked back at him, and the two nodded at each other.

“…..Spicer,” they murmured in unison.

“Spicer?” asked Kimiko, confused.

But before either of them could answer her, there was a loud rumbling crash as the ceiling caved in, debris falling all around them as patrons scattered out of the way in a panic, screaming in terror. Immediately, Raimundo conjured a wind that blew the falling debris towards an empty part of the teahouse and away from any people, while Omi and Kimiko evacuated some customers outside to safety. Clay, who had swept the elderly tea shop owner in his arms to carry him to safety, glared up at the hole in the roof of the teahouse as robots began to fly inside the room. Behind them, cackling with delight, was a redheaded teenager dressed all in black, hovering above and surveying the scene below with a sense of entitled satisfaction. 

“Spicer!” snarled Clay. 

“Well, well, well,” said Jack Spicer, smirking at Clay before looking over at the other Dragons with the same disdain. “If it ain’t the Xiaolin Losers. You’re far from home today, aren’t you?”

“You’re one to talk,” spat Kimiko, shooing the last of the teahouse patrons out the door.

“Ooh, aren't we spicy today?" teased Jack, sneering at her deepening frown. "Well, I’d love to stay and chat,” he sighed as he landed on the counter where the Scales still rested. “But it’s been a long trip here, and the sooner I get back home, the better.”

He reached down to pluck the Wu off of the counter, but before he could, a long serpent of hot tea rose up to hit him square in the chest.

“Ow, ow OW! Hot! That’s so hot!” screeched Jack as he began to hop around in pain, stumbling off of the counter as he did so and crashing to the floor in a heap.

Behind him, Omi lifted his arms again, directing the puddles of split tea under his feet into jets that blasted him onto the counter. He scooped up the Scales in his hands. “Not this time, Jack Spicer,” he said, pointing dramatically at the humiliated teen.

Jack glared at him, tears of pain still in the corners of his eyes, before he put a hand to his mouth and whistled hard. “Jack-Bots! You know the drill! Get the Wu!”

The robots began to move, whirring towards Omi ominously. Kimiko and Clay grit their teeth, and behind them, their leader sprinted towards the approaching threat. “Take them out guys!” cried Raimundo, as he leapt up and kicked the head right off a Jackbot. “Shouldn’t be too hard!”

Kimiko smiled and backflipped out of the way of a Jackbot’s buzzsaw before whipping around and sending a wave of fire that burnt the unlucky robot into a crisp. “It never is, is it?” she replied, laughing.

Omi ducked and evaded the reach of four Jackbots who had managed to gang up on him, clutching the Scales close to his chest. Jack, ever the opportunist, chuckled to himself as he pulled out a lazer gun from the inside of his trenchcoat and aimed at the unsuspecting monk, moving the dial on the side from "SAFETY" to "STUN." But before he could pull the trigger, a rope came out of nowhere and tightened around his waist, pinning his arms to his sides and causing him to drop his weapon before he was yanked into the arms of a very cheesed off cowboy.

“I don’t think so, you dirty snake,” growled Clay in a low voice that had Jack sweating bullets as he looked into his eyes. He grinned, trying to lower the tension of the moment, but Clay only scowled more fiercely before an especially large Jackbot tackled him from the side and sent him flying into the nearest wall.

“Much appreciated, Jackbot 009!” said Jack, dusting himself off and adjusting the goggles on his forehead with a smile. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I got a Wu to collect.”

“Don’t count your chickens before you lead them to water, Jack Spicer!” called Omi as he made quick work of a nearby Jackbot. The boy looked around, and his eyes caught sight of a stack of dishes resting on a table in the corner. Omi rushed towards them and began to throw them at Jack Spicer, who began squealing in fear and scurried to avoid the onslaught of ceramic vengeance raining down upon him.

“Yok hayır! Lütfen dur!”

Blinking in surprise, Omi looked over at the owner of the teahouse, who had stepped out of his hiding spot and was calling out to him with a distraught look on his face. “Lütfen genç adam!” he cried in pleading tones, “Çay evimi yok etmeyi bırak!”

Omi tilted his head, trying to understand what he was saying, but before he could, someone kicked him in his ribs, the force of the attack leaving him sprawled out on the floor groaning in pain. His vision was blurry, but he could still make out the sight of Jack Spicer with the Monkey Staff in hand sauntering over. 

“Hey thanks, old timer,” said Jack as the tea house owner flinched away at his odd, primate appearance. “I wasn’t planning for that distraction, but what can I say? Life’s full of surprises.”

“Hey Jack!”

The teen stopped in his tracks and turned, coming face to face with Raimundo hovering in the air, holding a small ball of whirling wind in his hands. 

The Dragon of Wind grinned. “Surprise.”

He let the small tornado in his fingers go free, and it grew bigger and bigger and blasted Jack off his feet, leaving him sprawled out on the floor, very dizzy and struggling not to vomit. Rai knelt down beside Omi, worry flashing across his face. “You okay, Omi?”

“Nothing is hurt,” said Omi carefully, pulling himself painfully off of the ground. “Except perhaps for my pride.”

“Hey, I don’t know if you noticed this, but we’re really messing up that guy’s business.”

He pointed to the tea house owner, who was standing off to the side, fretting about the broken tables, and far too worried about his establishment to listen to Kimiko or Clay trying to convince him to leave the battle arena. 

Omi blinked and reddened in shame. “But, we did not start this fight," he protested weakly.

“No, but we’re going to finish it. And we’re gonna win some Wu off of Spicer while we do it. If you’re up for it,” continued Raimundo with a mischievous grin, “I’ve got an idea.”

Omi smiled. “I am all ears, my leader.”

Nearby, Jack grumbled as he pulled himself back up to his feet, frantically smoothing down his windblown hair. “Figures,” he sniffed. “You Xiaolin Showoffs are always going on about being good, but you never play fair.”

“I play fair,” said Raimundo casually. “Part of being Team Leader means being a good sport. In fact,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “Why don’t I let you take a free shot?”

Jack blinked. “Excuse me?”

“The scales. They’re right over there. Go get ‘em.”

Raimundo pointed, and Jack followed his finger to the Scales of Anubis, sitting innocently on the floor to his left. Jack narrowed his eyes in suspicion and turned back to Raimundo. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch. The Wu’s there. You’re here." His gaze hardened. "So go fetch, monkey boy.”

“You’re not gonna stop me?”

Raimundo shrugged. “I’ve been walking around the Bazaar for nine hours. I’m gonna call it an early day.”

“Kid, what are you doing?” hissed Dojo, crawling out of his hiding spot in Raimundo’s hoodie pocket. 

“Nothing. I’m not doing anything.” He flicked his eyes down to the dragon poking out of his hoodie. “That’s the point.” He redirected his gaze at Jack. “But I’ll only stay still if you call your Jackbots off and quit wrecking this guy’s tea house.”

Jack tilted his head in confusion, then collected himself. “Uh. Okay. Sure. Whatever. Jackbots, stand down.” 

The robots obliged, lining up into a neat line towards the back of the teahouse, their eyes turning from red to blue as they settled into "Standby Mode." With his own eyes still trained on Raimundo, Jack began to walk towards the Wu carefully, almost afraid of what would happen once he reached it. But eventually, he did. Still flicking his eyes over to Raimundo every three seconds, he slowly bent down to touch the scales – and gulped nervously when they began to glow with a familiar golden light.

“Shroud of Shadows!”

Jack blinked as Omi came into view, whipping the Shroud off of his body triumphantly, revealing his hand to be resting on the scales as well.  
“Jack Spicer,” said the Dragon of Water, “I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown.”

Jack made a face as he realized the deception that had taken place, pointedly avoiding Raimundo’s smug gaze from across the room. “Ugh," he groaned, realizing just how stupid of a mistake it had been to trust his enemy's words. "Ugggghhh , fine, whatever, name the game!”

“The game is Balancing Act!” said Omi, pointing to the remaining unbroken dishes and one of the only unbroken tables in the tea house. “First person to deliver their trays of tea over to that table wins the Showdown. My Shroud of Shadows verses your Monkey Staff. Winner gets the Scales of Anubis.”

“I accept your challenge, Omi!” said Jack, leaning forward and glaring determinedly down at his old rival. “Let’s go!”

“XIAOLIN SHOWDOWN!” they cried in unison.

Their voices reverberated off the walls, and they braced themselves as reality itself twisted and changed all around them. The room grew impossibly big and the ceiling stretched up and up until it was almost out of sight, a circle of sunlight streaming from the hole Jack and his robots had left in its center. The tiles on the floor began to break apart into small patches of land, some hovering by themselves into steps going up and down, and the carpets stretched and thinned into long strips, floating in midair like bridges. Tea poured out of the walls like waterfalls, spouted out from below like fountains. There was no ground anymore, just a vast ocean of dark, aromatic tea.

Raimundo, Clay, Kimiko, Dojo and the teahouse owner sat on thrones on a patch of tiles above the battle arena, Kimiko soothing the frazzled old man and patting his hand comfortingly as he shook and looked around in a panic. Below, Omi and Jack stood at the starting line, each holding a tray full of teacups, both peering at the table across the room. They glared at each other, the words rising in their throat like so many other times before.

“GONG YI TAN PAI!”

And they were off. Slowly. Omi, with the Shroud of Shadows tied around his waist like a sash, began to walk forward confidently, his steps so even and measured not even a single drop of tea fell out of the cups on his tray. 

On his other side, Jack, still in his monkey form, and blessed with the abilities of the Monkey Staff, began to just have fun with the challenge. He hopped and flipped this way and that off of the carpets and tiles, swinging himself by the tail around and around, somersaulting here and there and hooting with delight, all while never spilling a drop of tea himself. It was a stark contrast to slow, focused Omi, walking forward towards the finish line with a tranquil look of concentration on his face.

“Hey Omi,” called Jack as he walked on his hands, balancing the tray with his feet some twenty feet ahead. “Are you even trying to win this thing? Or are you just trying to pretend that you don’t know you’re about to lose?”

Omi said nothing, but kept walking onward, even as Jack moved closer and closer to the finish line. 

Above them, the Dragon of Earth bit his lip in worry. “I don’t get it,” said Clay, leaning forward on his throne. “The Monkey Staff boosts your agility twentyfold. This is a BALANCING Showdown. Why’d Omi choose a challenge where Jack has the advantage?”

“Pride cometh before a fall, Clay,” said Kimiko, pouring herself a cup of tea from a set of floating dishware nearby. She poured a cup for the teahouse owner, who took it, sipping it as he watched the weirdness unfold around him as Kimiko looked over to Clay with a confident, patient smile. “Omi knows exactly what he’s doing.”

“Whaddya mean, Kimiko?”

“The key to defeating an enemy is to know their biggest weakness. So tell me. Who is Jack’s worst enemy?"

“…Himself,” said Clay, realization dawning on his face.

“Exactly,” said Raimundo, draped lazily on his throne with a knowing grin. 

Down below, Jack cackled in glee. He was now only five feet away from the finish line, literal seconds away from ending the Showdown. But just before he got to the patch of tiles where the table waited for him, he turned to look back at his opponent. Omi was just barely past the halfway mark, nowhere near the end and nowhere close to winning. It was almost pathetic how far he was lagging behind. Laughable, even.

Jack grinned, his incisors dangerously sharp thanks to the powers of the Monkey Staff. 

What harm could a little gloating do, honestly? 

Deciding to have a little bit more fun before his inevitable victory, he put his tray down on the ground and began to hop from tile to tile, away from the finish line and near the strip of carpet Omi was walking on. The Dragon of Water was still moving carefully and surely towards his mark, and he was still ignoring Jack.

Jack cackled. “Hey Omi, I bet if you speed up a little, you can make it to the end in about..oh….three months?”

Omi walked on and said nothing, not even bothering to give him a sideways glance as he moved like molasses past the redheaded teen.

“Huh.” Jack scratched his ear with his foot like a dog, his face contemplative. “You’re really not gonna say anything to me, are you, short stack?”

“A Xiaolin Warrior speaks not with his words, but with his actions,” said Omi quietly, his pace never changing.

Jack began to laugh, struggling to breathe as he fell over on his side, pounding the carpet with his fist. “Oh, oh, that’s rich, coming from YOU! Come ON! 'Speak with your words, not your actions?' You’re the most egotistical person I know, besides me!” His smile faltered as his words sunk in, the tips of his ears turning pink. “Wait that didn’t come out right.”

Omi stopped in his tracks and sighed. “Be that as it may, Jack Spicer, sometimes it is better to do rather than say.” He turned to look over at the redhead, lifting an eyebrow. “And besides, I think it’s clear that I’m going to win the showdown either way.”

Jack glared at him. “Oh yeah?” he asked, as he hung upside down from a carpet above Omi’s head with a challenging stare. “And why is that?”

“Because I’m the only one who has a tray of tea.”

Jack frowned. “What are you talking about, my tray’s right over –“ 

He stopped mid-sentence as he looked back at the finish line, and felt the blood drain out of his face when he realized that the tray wasn’t there anymore.

“I…what?!” screeched Jack in horror, looking from Omi to the finish line and back to Omi. “How?! Where is it? WHAT DID YOU DO?”

Omi shrugged. “I did nothing. I have been here all along.” The young monk smiled politely at him as he gave a slight bow and moved onward. “If you want a chance at beating me, then you’ll just have to find your tray, won’t you?”

Jack snarled, whirling the Monkey Staff around in his hands before leaping towards Omi, his anger overtaking his panic. “Well, I may have lost my tray, but you can’t win if you lose yours!”

Omi’s smile melted away into a cold glare, and he balanced the tray with one hand as he made fluid motions with his other. Below, from the ocean of tea, tendrils of hot brown liquid began to snake their way up to them and grabbed Jack by the wrist like some strange, underwater creature. The teen began to fly into a panic as he struggled to free himself, wincing at the hot liquid gripping his wrists tightly. “Let – me – go!” he cried, yanking his arm out of a tentacle. “Rrgh! Stupid Omi!” He looked around, desperately trying to find the monk who put him in this predicament. “Come out and fight me, you little cueball!”

“If it is a fight you are looking for, I am right over here, _Jack Spicer._ ”

Jack gulped at the sound of his name being said in that tone of voice, and he felt the tendrils sink back into the ocean beneath him, placing him down on some tiles as they disappeared. Omi, his own tray nowhere to be seen, was standing on the carpet opposite of him, glaring at him with contempt before fluidly moving into a battle stance. 

“I-I-I…Uh…..I was just, sort of, kidding?” said Jack weakly, as he took a step back, starting to feel the pangs of regret deep in his gut. Omi was either all smiles, or all pain, and right now, there was no smile to be seen. For anyone who knew Omi as long as he had, this was a very bad sign. “I…uh…didn’t really mean to challenge you," Jack squeaked as he looked around for an escape route.

“But you have,” said Omi, his gaze darkening as he leaned into his pose more. “So fight.”

Jack swallowed, and took a deep breath before whirling the Monkey Staff above his head and bringing it on front of him like a sword, forcing himself to look more confident than he felt. “Okay. You know what? Fine. You and me, Cueball. Let’s go.”

The two leapt at each other, Jack swiping the staff here and there while Omi simply used his fists, and within seconds it became clear that Jack was outmatched and outclassed – yet he wasn’t going down. Jack threw a punch here, a kick there, even managing to block a few of Omi's own attacks, and thought it was blatantly obvious that he wasn’t going to win, it was enough to keep Omi on his toes and make Raimundo’s eyebrows fly up in surprise as he watched the battle from above.

“You’re actually somewhat of a threat,” said Omi, weaving this way and that to avoid Jack’s blows. “Impressive.”

“Thanks,” panted Jack, his lungs on fire as his words came out in breathless gasps. “I’ve – been – taking – self-defense – classes. Mom's...Mom's idea."

Omi made a half-interested sound of approval before spinning himself around, aiming a low kick to knock Jack off his feet. Jack fell flat on his rump, rubbing his head in pain and coming to a sickening realization that he no longer held the Monkey Staff in his hand…and that the sharp end was being pointed directly at his throat.

Jack looked up at Omi, who was staring him down with an intense look in his eyes that made him seem taller than he actually was. The redhead gulped, trying to ignore the fact that he was shaking. “W-well?” he asked, his words coming out with more cowardice than defiance. “Aren’t you going to finish me off?”

Omi blinked once, then took the Staff away from Jack’s throat and bowed low. “I have no more need to,” he said.

Jack gawked at him, his eyes wide. “What?!" he cried in a high voice. "Why not?!”

Omi looked up at something past him, something across the room, and grinned. “Because I have already won.”

Jack turned to see what he was looking at, and his jaw dropped as he saw another Omi standing at the finish line, placing a tray on the table and ending the showdown.

“What?!” he shouted, but it was already too late. The room they were in was shrinking, the tiles and carpet going back to their original state, the sea of tea turning back into puddles split on the teahouse floor. Jack looked back at the Omi he had been fighting, only now noticing that he didn't have the Shroud of Shadows tied around his waist. Omi looked at him, winked, and melted into the floor, dissolving into a large puddle of black tea.

Jack took a step back, trying to wrap his head around what just happened. “Wait….that wasn’t you?” he heard himself ask, as he watched Omi collect his Wu behind him. 

“Not quite,” said Omi, gingerly picking up the Scales of Anubis. He smiled at Jack, an aura of smugness in his proud words. “Water is a very versatile element. There are many ways you can manipulate it.”

Jack stammered, unable to reply for a moment or so. “I-Well-Okay, b-but, if you’re there, and that thing is…there,” he said, pointing to the puddle before looking around the room, searching for something. “Then…what the heck happened to my tray?”

Omi grinned, moving over to the ground next to him and pulling away at the corner of something – the Shroud of Shadows - letting the missing tray of tea come into view. “It was always right where you left it.”

Jack sank down to his knees, stunned beyond words. The exact same trick that had been used to usher him into the Showdown had, in fact, made him lose the Showdown. The same exact trick. He had fallen for it twice.

From behind him, the tea house owner began to applaud, laughing at Omi's trick, and the other Dragons rushed towards their friend to celebrate his victory. 

“Omi, that was amazing!” cried Kimiko as she threw her arms around her teammate, causing him to blush and grin at the praise. “Your Shoku powers have gotten so much better!”

“And the way you made that water clone hide Jack’s tray under the Shroud of Shadows while he was busy trying to get your goat….that was great!” laughed Clay, clapping him on the shoulder. “And when you switched places when he was all tied up –" He clapped a hand to his forehead. "I knew you could make copies of yourself, but I didn’t know you could make them talk.”

“It took a lot of practice,” admitted Omi in a tired voice, “And it was very taxing. But, when the time came to it, I pulled it on!”

“Pulled it off,” corrected Dojo, patting him on the head.

“Yes, that,” said Omi, sighing at another language mistake. 

He smiled when he noticed Raimundo, who had walked over to him with a fond look on his face. The tall teen patted him on the shoudler, chuckling with pride.

“You did good, kid,” he said.

Omi’s grin grew wider, but fell when he saw Jack still kneeling on the ground. The redhead was turned away from him, but there was something in his body language that concerned him. The way he was absolutely still made Omi wince in pity. Gingerly placing the Shroud and the Scales in Raimundo’s hands, Omi carried the Monkey Staff over to where Jack was kneeling. He cleared his throat guiltily when he realized that the teen was absolutely soaked in tea, giving him the appearance of a drowned rat. Deciding to ask Raimundo if he could air-blow him dry after their conversation, he nudged the teen on the shoulder to get his attention.

Jack started, but did not turn to face him.

“That was a most impressive fight, Jack Spicer,” Omi said, as Jack, still not looking at him, pulled himself up and onto his feet. “You came very close.”  
When Jack still did not face him, Omi held out the Monkey Staff, Jack’s favorite Shen Gong Wu, ignoring the murmurs of his team behind him as he gave what he hoped was a comforting smile. “I congratulate you," he finished.

After a brief moment, Jack finally turned to him, slowly, and Omi's smile faltered as he saw something in his eyes that he had never before seen in all his years of knowing Jack Spicer:

The bitterness of defeat.

Then, as Jack seemed to understand exactly what he was looking at, it was gone, dissolving into anger as Jack scowled, baring teeth and shoving Omi hard, causing the small monk to stumble backwards onto the floor. Omi clutched at the staff, looking up at Jack worriedly, as the teen seethed in anger above him.

“I don’t need your pity, short stack!” snapped Jack, his hands clenched into trembling fists. “Stop making fun of me, you already won!”

Omi felt Raimundo’s presence before he saw him. The taller Dragon stood in front of him protectively while Kimiko and Clay knelt beside him, and Rai glared at Jack with pure, unfiltered hatred. “Hey, what’s your deal?!” he shouted, the force of his anger causing wind to swirl around him inside the building.

Jack took a step back from the sight of the calendars and tapestries being blown off the walls by Raimundo's growing ire. Deciding that preserving his pride wasn’t worth causing a Category 5 hurricane in a tea house (of all places), Jack collected himself, glaring at all of them with as much hatred and anger as he could muster. “Forget this, and forget you! Take your stupid Wu, I’m out of here!”

And with that, he jumped up, punched a button on his helipack strap, and he was in the air, flying out of the hole he had created in the roof. The five people (and one dragon) still left in the tea house looked up and watched him fly away until he was nothing but a speck high above them in the distance. 

“Wow. Bitter much?” snarked Kimiko, her lip curling as she watched him leave. Clenching and unclenching her hands to control her anger, she looked down at her friend, who was looking down at his lap with sad eyes. “You alright Omi?” she asked softly.

Omi opened his mouth, but before could say anything, the tea house owner began to speak. 

“Harikaydın! Bütün bu kavgalardan sonra susamış olmalısın!” he said, smiling enthusiastically at them. He looked around for something, and saw a table that still had all its chairs. “Işte,” he said, motioning for them to sit. “Lütfen otur. İstediğin kadar çay içebilirsin!”

The three boys looked over to Kimiko for help, praying for mercy. She laughed and nodded at the tea house owner. “Çay harika geliyor, teşekkürler,” she said, smiling.

\------

It was nighttime before the five of them walked out of the Grand Bazaar. After a long, hard day of Wu hunting, Rai kept his Word and the Dragons had treated themselves to something from the world’s oldest marketplace. Kimiko had been the most enthusiastic about it, and was beginning to regret her choices somewhat as her arms sagged under the weight of so many bags of clothes. Still, the grin on her face did not falter. Behind her, Rai munched on his turkish delight, savoring each piece, Omi carried two rugs under his arm, one for Master Fung and one for himself, and Clay trailed behind with Dojo on his hat, admiring his new mosaic lamp.

“You’ve been kind of quiet, Omi,” noted Dojo, hopping down from Clay’s hat and onto Omi’s shoulder, concerned. “What’s the matter? Buyer’s remorse?”

“No, it’s not that,” sighed Omi. “I was just...thinking about our battle today.”

“Why? You did great,” said Kimiko, looking back at him.

“I...yes, thank you, you are too kind,” said Omi quietly, causing both Raimundo’s and Clay's eyebrows to fly up at the unexpected humility. “ But, that isn’t the thing I was worrying about. I...." He paused, trying to collect his feelings and find the right way to voice them. When he couldn't, he settled on the closest words that fit. "Did anyone else notice that Jack seemed different after his loss today?”

Raimundo scoffed, a sour expression on his face. “Ugh! Don’t even mention his name around me, dude. After the way he treated you, yelling and shoving you like that, and you were only trying to be nice! You didn't have to give him the Staff, but you were trying to! And he paid you back like that?! Man, I can’t stand that guy! Who does he think he is?!” Raimundo shoved another piece of Turkish delight in his mouth, then another, then another, mumbling incoherently in Portuguese as he chewed. 

Omi lowered his eyes, falling silent, and behind him, Clay saw the look on his face and decided to take hold of the conversation. “What you did back there, congratulatin’ him like that…that was awful big of you, Omi," said the older boy, pushing past a distracted Rai and walking next to his shorter friend. "But, why’d you do it? It was just another showdown and just another loss for Jack. We’ve been doing this song and dance for years now. What made you change the rhythm?”

Omi stopped walking as he thought, and the others came to a stop as well as they waited for his answer. “I….sensed that something had changed in him,” Omi said finally, rubbing the fabric of his rugs as he thought. “That something HAS changed in him." He frowned, his eyes distant. "And I am not sure if I like it.”

Clay nodded thoughtfully, tipping his hat over his face. “Yeah, I know what you mean. He seems…off. Like, maybe things aren’t going so well for him in his personal life.” 

“Well, that’s the price you pay for being such an awful person," said Kimiko, causing both Clay and Omi to cringe at the venom in her words.

Rai tilted his head at her in surprise. “Harsh. True, but still harsh.” 

“Is it?” said Kimiko as she turned around, shifting one of her bags to her other arm. “Let's be real for a second. Jack’s not the worst person in the world, but he doesn’t do much to try to be better. He brings it all on himself. I’m not trying to be mean, and I realize at the end of the day, he's still human...but in the end, he made a choice. And it’s the same choice he makes everyday. He chooses to be evil, He chooses to do bad things, and he chooses to deal with the consequences.” She shrugged. “I can only pity him so much, you know?

The boys nodded in understanding, but that didn’t stop Omi from drooping sadly, closing his eyes in despair. Kimiko relented, and nudged Omi with one of her bags playfully, causing him to smile again. “But yeah, I get what you’re saying," she said softly. "It’s like his heart isn’t really that into it any more.”

“Well, that’s his problem, not ours,” said Raimundo. He paused to stretch, exhaustion echoing throughout his whole body. “Come on, guys, we should really get home. Master Fung's gonna be worried.”

"I'll say. I sure hope he doesn't punish us for breaking curfew again."

"Yeesh, don't scare me like that. When it took us two days to get back from Africa, he had me scrubbing so many dirty dishes I couldn't text for a solid week. My fingers still feel sore when I see a dirty plate."

"Perhaps my gift will keep him from making his punishment so harsh?"

"We can only hope, kid."

The five of them chattered on and on, and even later, they continued to talk as they flew through the air on Dojo's back, watching the land below them shift from country to country, desert to forest to ocean. But through it all, Omi remained just a little more reserved than usual, and often, he found himself looking up at the stars above, his head filled with thoughts of a redheaded evildoer and the sad, empty look in his eyes.


	2. Home, Alone

It was a long, hard, humiliating flight back to California for Jack. And, thanks to Omi soaking him in tea a few times over both before and during the Showdown, it was also very cold. In an effort to avoid hypothermia, he had made a quick stop in Bulgaria to take off his coat and change into a new set of pants that he always carried around in his helipack’s compartment in case of emergencies. But that still left him in a short sleeve tank top, wet socks and damp hair. By the time he landed in the ritziest neighborhood of Blue Moon Bay, his fingers were numb and his teeth were chattering too hard for him to speak.

Blowing on his hands and rubbing them together to try to warm himself up, he looked up at the Spicer Mansion, scanning his house for any sign of life. There were none. All of the windows were dark – only the living room lights and the porch light were still left on, and his mother’s Mercedes-Benz was already parked in the driveway for the night. 

How late _was_ it? 

Jack looked down to check his phone’s clock –

11:35 PM, Pacific Time.

He grimaced. Mom was _definitely_ going to chew him out for this.

Jack walked up to the steps of his house and reached into a certain bush, pulling out the key his mother always kept hidden within the leaves. He ran a hand through his tousled hair to try to straighten himself up a bit, took a deep breath, walked up the steps and let himself in, making sure to type in the security code by the door so the alarms wouldn’t go off.

He was in enough trouble as it was. Having the local police department show up would not be good right now.

“I’m home!” Jack called out, deciding not to even try to be sneaky this time. Hastily pulling off his boots to leave by the door (house rules were house rules), he looked around, expecting to see his mother sitting on a couch waiting for him with a frown and a lecture. “I know I broke curfew by a few…hours, but I can explain!” he said, looking around.

No one answered. 

Jack’s brow furrowed. “Mom?” he called, walking around the empty living room. _She should be home by now, it’s too late for any of the stores or spas to be open._ He turned around in a circle, eyes moving back and forth nervously. “ _Mom?_ Uh….” He trailed off for a moment, suddenly realizing how eerily silent the mansion was – there was no sounds except for the clock ticking on the wall and the gentle hum and buzz of the refrigerator in the kitchen and the air conditioning system. 

Jack stood in the living room, pensive, then looked back at the front door. Only his shoes were there. His mother’s high heels were nowhere to be seen. 

He felt his heart begin to sink.

“Is anybody here?” he asked out loud, already knowing the answer. There was, of course, no reply, save for the faint echo of his own voice bouncing off of the high ceiling. 

Jack stood there for only a moment longer before he jumped into action. He clicked a button on his watch and began to check the security system – being a member of the Heylin could get you a lot of enemies, fast, and something about this wasn’t normal. Trying to remember what his mother had been wearing the last time he saw her, he walked to the kitchen absentmindedly, eyes scanning the readings on the holographic screen for any anomalies and making plans to call the authorities before his eyes caught sight of something out of place.

A very familiar piece of flowery pink stationary was posted on the fridge.

Recognizing it with wide eyes, Jack rushed to it and snatched it off, ignoring the magnet clattering to the floor and scanning his mom’s loopy, neat cursive, reading it out loud:

_“Dear Jackie,_

_Your father arrived from Hong Kong this morning on an early flight to inform me that he had been invited to a business symposium cruise in the Caribbean! Can you believe it? He came home a month early and with such wonderful news!_

_He’s representing his company on this cruise and will be giving a very important presentation to some of the most influential businessmen in the world! I know it’s short notice, but I’m going along with him as his plus one for moral support. Your father won’t let on, but he’s nervous about this trip. Some very wealthy investors will also be attending and he’s hoping to win them over for the sake of his boss and his company._

_We’ll be gone for the next six weeks. You’re in charge, sweetie! I left you some credit cards and extra cash in the bread box and a few packages of pudding cups in the fridge. Try not to blow up the house again while we’re gone. We’ll bring you back some nice souvenirs!_

_Love, Mommy.”_

Jack let out a long breath he didn’t realize he had been holding, feeling relief flood his senses and his heart rate go back to normal as he laughed at his own dissolving panic. Everything was fine - his mom just ran off again. Same business, different day. ”Hmm,” said Jack curiously as he looked back down at the letter, re-reading it slowly. “I wonder if she remembered to pay the electricity bill before she-“

At that moment, the lights in the kitchen went out, and all was darkness.

“…..left. Ugh,” said Jack, rubbing his temples in irritation. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to use the backup generator until tomorrow.”

And with that, the lights flickered back on. 

Jack sighed and opened the fridge, helping himself to a chocolate pudding cup and grabbing a spoon from the silverware drawer before heading off to the basement downstairs. After a day full of emotional roller coasters and disappointments, there was one special place he desperately needed to be now.

He kicked open the door that led down to his lab, walking down the stairs to his sanctuary and hanging up his helipack on one of the hooks near the staircase as he did so. Some of the outdated, but functioning, Jackbot models were moving here and there, doing various chores he had programmed into them before he had left, and they paused as they saw their master's arrival. Jack spooned some pudding into his mouth and waved with a wink.

“Daddy’s home, boys,” said Jack, grinning widely. “Evenin’, Jackbot 4Z34V.”

“Hello, Master,” droned the robot that was sweeping the floor.

Jack fingergunned another robot in the corner that was organizing blueprints. “Jackbot 7F13K, how’s it hanging?”

“Welcome back, Master,” came the reply.

“It’s good to be back. I….guess.” Jack stopped, wincing as he moved his shoulder and felt a faint ache shoot down his arm. Spooning some more pudding into his mouth, he turned to another robot. “Jackbot 9G82C, go get a first aid kit. I gotta clean myself up.” As 9G82C left, Jack turned to the robot behind him, sitting himself down on a stool by the table. “Run some diagnostics on me until he gets back, 7F13K," he ordered. "I’m pretty sure Omi twisted something during my outing today.”

“Right away, Master.”

Jack sat perfectly still as the Jackbot scooted closer and a bright blue light began to scan him slowly, first from top to bottom, then from left to right. The whole process took about one solid minute, and he resisted the urge to scratch his nose or take another bite of pudding so the reading could come out as accurate as possible. Then, the blue light vanished and Jackbot 7F13K moved a step or two back. “Diagnostics completed. You have several bruises and a few minor scratches, but no broken bones or torn muscles. Diagnosis: No serious injuries.”

“Really?” said Jack, tilting his head. "You sure?"

“No serious injuries,” said the robot.

Jack sat back, finishing up the last of his pudding thoughtfully. “Well, at least I don’t have to worry about a medical bill.” He rolled his eyes. " _This_ time, anyways.”

“Would you like an icepack for your sore areas?” asked 7F13K.

“Yeah, that’d be great.” Jack smiled at his creation fondly, the first actual smile he had all day. “Thanks, 7F13K.”

“You are welcome, Master,” said the robot as it left to fetch the icepack.

Jack swiveled around on his chair and scooted closer to the table, where his tools were still waiting right he had left him that morning before the Wu Alert on his phone went off. A mass of wires and various mechanical odds and ends sat in front of him, and he was determined to turn it all into a new weapon for his arsenal by the time the sun rose. 

But the silence around him was a little…..absolutely overwhelming in its quietness. Jack shuddered. He had to do something about that.

Jack clapped his hands, calling his creations to attention. “Jackbot 2A65L, music please.”

A Jackbot whirred over to his workspace, the front plate on its chest transitioning to boombox speakers. “What would you like to listen to, Master?”

“Come here for a sec.”

The robot obeyed, moving closer, and Jack opened another spot on his chest compartment, pressing his finger on the screen there and scrolling down. “Playlists, playlists, playlists,” he mumbled to himself, weighing his options until he found a compilation of metal and rock songs that he especially loved. They were also perfect to listen to in the lab. They were loud enough to keep him awake, but had enough rhythm to get him into a working groove. “Yeah. This’ll work,” he said as he pressed play. He looked up and smiled. “Thanks.”

“You are welcome, Master.”

With that, Jack settled into a smooth, easy pace, losing himself in both the music and his work in a matter of minutes. 9G82C came back with the first aid kid and 7F13K came back with the ice. 2A65L sat in the corner playing music. After that, no one moved, and Jack sunk into a trance as he focused on his work. Time passed as the wires in front of him began to change into an actual object, something dangerous and formidable and more than a little capable of wiping the floor with his enemies. Jack began to smile, without really realizing he was doing so, as he thought about what his next project could do once it was completed. It was delicate, slow work, but it was work he enjoyed. The longer he was there, the more he felt himself relax, and the terrible trip home and the embarrassing Showdown loss faded away from his mind. No matter how awful his day, coming back here always helped him get back to center. There was no place in the world Jack felt more at peace than right there, in his lab, turning mechanical odds and ends into technological masterpieces. 

It was after an hour or two of this steady, slow work that one of the Jackbots crept up on him, holding something in his arms. Jack didn’t notice, eyes still fixated on his work as he soldered two wires together, being mindful not to burn himself with the hot metal. 

“Master,” said the Jackbot, lightly tapping him on his shoulder. "Master?" 

“Not now, K3X0P,” said Jack, tongue poking out of his mouth as he carefully inspected his work for any flaws. There were none, and Jack sat back, grinning with pride, before reaching for another tool by his side. 

“MASTER” said the Jackbot insistently.

“Whaaaat?” whined Jack, taking off his goggles and looking up at K3X0P in irritation. “Can’t you see I’m working?”

“Apologies, Master,” said the Jackbot, as he held up the small pile of textbooks he was carrying in his mechanical claws. “But your mother left me specific instructions for you to do your homework before school tomorrow.”

Jack stared for a moment before scoffing and turning back to his half-built invention on the table. “Why bother? It’s not like I’m going to show up.” His eyes narrowed, venom creeping into his voice. “I hate that place. It’s so boring, the classes aren't even a challenge, and the students are…..” He shut his eyes and took a deep breath to steady himself. “I hate that place.” He turned away. "So I'm not going."

“Master, you have already been truant from school for 20 days now. The maximum amount of days absent before expulsion becomes an option is 20. You cannot afford to miss any more.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Big deal. So I get in trouble with an understaffed, overpriced, pretentious private school.” He shrugged and picked up the soldering iron again, pulling his goggles over his eyes again. “What’s the worst that could happen?”

The Jackbot shifted from side to side, almost nervously. “Your father would be most upset at you. Perhaps upset enough to end his business trip early.”

Jack froze in place and stayed frozen for a good three seconds, his breath hitching at the Jackbot's words. Then, he put down his tool, took off his goggles and sighed loudly, signaling for the music to turn off. “…….Fine,” he said at last, glaring at K3X0P. “ _Fine!_ I’ll _go._ ” 

“Shall I continue your work in your place, Master?” asked one of the other Jackbots as it watched Jack stretch his arms.

“Nah, just leave it for tomorrow. I’m not in the mood for this anymore.”

He stood up, signaling the remaining Jackbots to put everything away safely and shut down his lab as he followed K3X0P upstairs to his bedroom. ”Whatever keeps me from having to deal with my dad,” he muttered bitterly as he stomped up the stairs. 

Jack marched up into the kitchen and out into the main hall, still ranting under his breath. “Stupid school with its stupid homework and stupid teachers and stupid students. I just know they’re going to say something about this,” he snapped at K3X0P, pointing to a bruise on his cheek that he had earned during the Showdown.

K3X0P said nothing, and in fact, did not say anything while Jack followed him upstairs to his bedroom in the East Wing.

K3X0P opened the black door at the end of the hallway, and Jack walked through it, surveying his room with disinterest. It was just as messy as he had left it, with dirty clothes littered all over the floor and the bedsheets in complete disarray. Horror movie posters and various images of Tesla, Einstein and Alan Turing filled up the walls. Whatever available space was left was plastered with heavy metal and alt-rock band stickers, and hanging over the black and red sheets of his bed in a special place of honor was an old Chinese scroll. Jack had scored this beauty in an antique shop in San Francisco's Chinatown two years before, and it stuck out like a sore thumb with the rest of his home decor. On the wrinkled, yellowed paper was an ink painting of none other than Chase Young meditating on a lonesome mountain top, his eyes fierce and his face contemplative.

Seeing his evil hero gave Jack a boost of inspiration, even as he sat himself down at his messy desk and K3X0P dumped his homework unceremoniously in front of him. The Jackbot left quietly, shutting the door to Jack’s bedroom behind him as Jack himself cracked his knuckles in preparation for the task ahead.

“All right,” he said to himself, in a resigned, slightly bitter tone. “Let’s see what we got.”

Jack sat down and scanned the papers and books in front of him, his tired eyes taking in everything they read. Despite his sleepiness, none of it was really that difficult for him. It hadn't been in years. Within twenty minutes, he sat back, his task finished. All of his reading was completed, and all of the answers on his homework sheets were filled in, albeit in messy, near incomprehensible handwriting. 

Jack leaned back in his seat, arms crossed behind his head as he put his feet up on the desk. “Pfft. Too easy,” he said, smiling sardonically. “Does anyone even _try_ to make a decent curriculum these days?”

Chuckling to himself, Jack closed his eyes, his exhaustion from the whole day’s events settling in at last. His breathing slowed, and he began to doze off. He didn’t even notice his bedroom door opening, the footsteps creeping up behind him, or the other person putting their head down next to his. He wouldn’t have noticed them at all, if they hadn’t whispered a single word right into his ear:

_“Boo.”_

That whisper woke Jack right up and he screamed – loud and frantically – jumping right out of the chair and landing ungracefully on his stomach. He looked up, getting ready to call his Jackbots to eliminate the intruder –

And looked right into his own face, smirking down at him.

“….Robojack.” 

The real Jack scowled as his robotic doppleganger grinned at the sound of “his” own name, and Jack pulled himself up from the floor, still frowning. 

“Must you always do that?” he asked, annoyed.

“Of course,” said Robojack, throwing his hands up in a shrug. “It never stops being funny.”

Jack shook his head disapprovingly. “You’d think that joke would get old after a while.”

“It never gets old because _you_ never stop being such a wuss,” said Robojack as he poked Jack in the chest.

Jack swatted his hand away and stomped his foot, his face flushing a bright red. _“I am not a wuss!”_ he yelled shrilly.

Robojack snorted, rolling his eyes. “Yeah. Sure. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be in the lab?” asked Jack, putting his hands on his hips. “I’m pretty sure I rewired your programming so you wouldn’t be able to leave.”

“I know." His double grinned wickedly. "I fixed it.”

Jack snarled in annoyance, and Robojack’s smile melted away into irritation. “Hey, if you’re gonna keep me under house arrest, then you might as well let me access the ENTIRE house,” said the robot, dropping the 'jokester' act.

Jack was silent for a moment, glaring into his double’s eyes before sinking back into his seat and turning back to his desk. “….Whatever,” he muttered quietly.

Jack began to pretend to be busy, opening books and reading passages he already finished reading, in a vain effort to get the robot version of himself to leave him alone. It didn’t take. In fact, his robotic doppleganger actually seemed curious to know what he was doing, as “he” walked up to the desk and began to watch Jack from over his shoulder.

“So,” said Robojack after a moment of silence, “You’re actually playing the part of the dutiful high school student.” He grinned maliciously. “For once.”

“Lay off,” said Jack, opening up a History textbook and pretending to bury himself in a chapter about the Battle of the Somme. “I don’t want to do this, but if it keeps me from having to go through another one of Dad’s lectures, then so be it.”

Robojack shuddered, genuine discomfort flickering across his face. “That guy gives me the willies. And I’m not even supposed to be able to process fear.” He thought for a moment, laughed out loud, and snapped his fingers. “Remember when you messed up that company picnic because you were showing off your newest Wu to those cute accounting girls? And then you activated it and opened a rip in space-time in the middle of downtown that stayed there for two weeks? Man, was he angry,” he finished, shaking his head.

Jack didn’t say anything. He didn’t even turn around. He stayed facing away from Robojack and turned a page, but beyond that, didn’t react.

Silence settled between the two, deep and awkward and full of something neither could name. But whatever it was, it was uncomfortable, enough so that Robojack, after a few minutes of quiet, nudged some notebooks out of the way and sat down on the desk next to Jack.

Jack still didn’t react, staring down at the History textbook like his life depended on it.

Robojack cleared his throat before he spoke, this time more gently. “You, uh….You wanna talk about i-?”

“ **No,** ” said Jack sharply, and he snapped the book shut before swiveling his seat around to face away from the desk.

Robojack, sensing that he had crossed a line, drummed his fingers on the desk.“O-kay,” he said, finally, deciding to change the subject. “So. Weekend’s over. Looking forward to heading back to school?”

Jack swiveled back around to face him with an incredulous look on his face. “ _No!_ Why would I be?”

Robojack shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you’ll have a good day? Sitting in a room with other people and processing new information, writing stuff down, maybe changing it up with some P.E. or Home Ec. It doesn’t seem that terrible. Kind of…nice, actually,” he finished, with a bashful half-smile.

Jack raised his eyebrows, stood up and walked over to his dresser, pulling out an emergency toolkit buried underneath his socks. “If that’s how you feel, then you can go to school tomorrow.” He turned back around with a screwdriver in hand. “Here. I’ll disable your internal security system so you can leave the house and replace me. I can stay in the lab and get some work done, and you can have a nice day out with all the trust fund kids you want.”

Robojack rolled his eyes. “Yeah, like I could. Even if I left the Spicer property, I’d never get past the metal detectors at the school.” He tilted his head, exactly the way Jack himself did. “Remember those?”

Jack looked away and pouted. “No.”

“You should. They installed them because of you. Because of what happened the LAST time you sent one of us on campus.”

Jack looked back at Robojack with narrowed eyes. “I specifically designed you for stealth. For blending in. You should be able to find a way around the metal detectors.”

Robojack stood up. “All right. Well, I just don’t feel like it. Or….no. That’s not right,” he said, looking down at his feet in contemplation before looking back up and walking over to Jack. “I’d love to do something other than hang out in this house all day. Anything would be better than being trapped here, in this _prison,”_ he said, spitting out the last word of his sentence like it was poison. “But not if it means having to do your dirty work for you. AGAIN.”

Jack twirled the screwdriver around in his fingers, glaring at Robojack with utter contempt. “You don’t listen to me. You don’t do any work around here. You don’t keep to your designated area. Every other sentence is filled with back sass and disrespect. Remind me again why I keep you active?”

“The same reason why you keep all the other available Jackbots active at all times,” said Robojack, glaring right back and leaning in so that the tip of his nose was touching Jack’s. _“Because we’re the closest thing you have to actual friends.”_

Jack didn’t say anything, but pressed a few buttons on his watch without looking away, or even blinking. Within seconds, Robojack’s glare melted back into a neutral default expression, the light in his eyes dimming as he sunk to the floor, going from an exact copy of Jack Spicer to nothing more than a piece of disabled machinery. 

Jack stepped over his creation and sat back down at the desk, looking around at the textbooks and completed answer sheets in front of him.

He stared down at them for only a few more moments before something in him snapped and he began to rip the homework up into little pieces and throw the books all around his room.

“You know what?” he said as he threw his Calculus take-home test up in the air. “ _Screw it._ I’m staying home tomorrow. Let them expel me.” He crumpled up his English essay and tossed it to the far wall, punting his copy of The Grapes of Wrath out of his open bedroom door and emptying his notes on Romeo and Juliet out of his backpack and onto Robojack’s lifeless shell, his voice rising in pitch, volume and intensity as he raged. “Who cares? _Who cares if Dad gets mad?_ He’s been mad since the day I was born! _NOTHING_ WOULD CHANGE IF I HAD TO TRANSFER SCHOOLS AGAIN. _NOTHING_ WOULD CHANGE IF HE CAME HOME TO HAVE ANOTHER “TALK.” _**NOTHING. EVER. CHANGES.”**_

He was left panting, staring around at abused textbooks and scraps of paper scattered all over his room as his chest heaved up and down, his heart pounding loudly in his ears. His anger began to bleed away into something else, something that wasn’t quite sadness but definitely not happiness. Something empty and hollow.

Like the house he was in.

Jack stood up straighter, suddenly realizing just how _silent_ everything was. There was nothing. No clock ticking. No refrigerator humming. No creaks and groans of the house settling into the earth, no crickets chirping outside, nothing but the sound of his own breathing.

It was uncomfortable.

“….Hmph.” Jack walked over to his bedroom door, closed it, and flicked the light switch to "OFF". _“….Whatever.”_

The only light that was left was the soft green of the glow-in-the-dark stars and posters all around him, and the faint light of a waning gibbous moon outside. Jack walked to his bed, stumbling over Robojack’s leg on the way there, peeling off his pants, his goggles and his shirt and flopping onto his bed in defeat. Lying down in nothing but his boxers, Jack looked up at the poster of Chase Young above his head. 

“I wonder if you’ve ever had days like this?” he asked out loud.

No one answered back.

Jack blinked up at the image one last time, then lowered his head. “One of these days, I’m gonna make it happen,” he said to himself tiredly, rolling over and burying his face in the soft pillows and sheets beneath him. “World domination, baby.” 

For a moment, for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, a face seared across his mind – Omi, humble and smiling, offering him the Monkey Staff after defeating him and winning it in the showdown.

_That was a most impressive fight, Jack Spicer. You came very close. I congratulate you._

The face in his mind changed - Omi, sad and hurt, looking up at him from the floor, surrounded by his team. 

_I don’t need your pity, short stack! Stop making fun of me, you already won!_

A twinge of guilt arose from underneath his ennui and general unease, and Jack shook his head to try to ignore it. But something gnawed at him, and some rather harsh words rang out through his thoughts once more.

_Remind me again why I keep you active?_

__

__

_The same reason why you keep all the other available Jackbots active at all times. Because we’re the closest thing you have to actual friends._

Jack sighed, shifting his head and closing his eyes, his exhaustion overtaking memories he’d rather forget. “One of these days,” he mumbled, eyelids heavy and consciousness leaving him. “One of these days…”

And he was out like a light.


	3. The Winds of Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Real quick, before we start
> 
> In Xiaolin Showdown, we occasionally see some of the character's parents or family members. Jesse, Patrick, Tomoko, Daddy Bailey, Mrs. Bailey, Mr. Tohomiko, Jack's mom...We see these characters on-screen, so they're canon. Rarely seen, but canon. And if we don't actually meet them, we at least get hints that they're there. But more often than not, we don't really get an in-depth look at the families of the characters, or their family life, or their relationship with one another. It leaves a lot to imagination. So when writing this fic, I've sort of....filled in the blanks myself.
> 
> With characters of my own imagining.
> 
> That I made by myself with no outside help. 
> 
> You could say that these characters...are...original.
> 
> OCs. I made OCs. There, I said it.
> 
> When writing this fic, I ended up (accidentally) making a lot of OCs, mostly relatives of the Xiaolin Dragons (and Jack Spicer), and I hope that doesn't put you guys off too much as you read about the adventures of the Xiaolin Dragons and everyone's favorite Evil Boy Genius, Jack.
> 
> So there. Disclaimer. OCs. Your headcanons are still valid. I just wrote about mine NOW ON TO THE CHAPTER.

In the darkness just before dawn, the Dragons of Wind and Water raced through silent fields together. Behind them, their opponents followed stealthily, with a cold determination.

Neither Raimundo nor Omi had to look back to know that their pursuers were behind them, maybe not close by, but there all the same. The two ran through the tall prairie grasses together, as quickly and as quietly as possible. They only allowed themselves to stop when they were sure that the footsteps behind them were no longer there, and even then, they hid themselves in a particularly unassuming part of the field and held perfectly still for ages before crawling out of the grass and crouching down on the ground, finally allowing themselves to rest.

Raimundo wiped the sweat off of his forehead before he spoke. “Are we alone?” he whispered.

Omi nodded, trying to control his breath. “We are,” he said in between gasps of air. “For now.” He sighed before sinking down to the ground in exhaustion. “But it is only a matter of time before they catch up to us.”

Raimundo flopped over on the dirt next to him. “ _Ay, yi, yi._ I knew they were getting stronger, but I didn’t realize they would be this much of a challenge.”

“At least we are getting a good workout,” said Omi with forced optimism.

“You can say that again.”

“Very well. At least we are getting a good-“

Raimundo snorted and covered his face with one arm. “Omi, you know that’s not what I meant.”

He didn’t need to see Omi to know he was smiling – he could hear it in his voice. “Just pushing your leg, Raimundo.”

Raimundo rolled his eyes and turned over to face his friend on his side, trying to get serious again. “Okay, here’s what we do. You make a couple of water clones of the two of us, and you send them out towards…” He paused, looking Omi up and down, before realizing something was off. “Hey……did you go through a growth spurt?” He asked. “You look….taller?”

Omi looked back at him in confusion, before his eyes moved downwards and widened in fear. “Raimundo….?” 

Raimundo followed his gaze down to the ground he was lying on, and realized that it looked different than it had been a moment ago. Something in the color had changed, and it seemed to move strangely whenever Raimundo shifted his weight. Narrowing his eyes, he poked it, and realized with a sinking feeling that it was not solid in the slightest. 

The realization hit Omi at the same time, and he tried to stand up to help his friend, but he felt a strange suction pulling him back down. The more he fought to escape it, the faster he began to sink into the ground beneath him. “Agh! Quicksand!” he screamed, struggling to get free.

“Omi!” Raimundo’s voice brought him back to reality, and Omi saw his friend reaching out to him, straining against the suction of the earth. “Grab my hand!”

Omi obeyed, and with some effort, Raimundo pulled him close, took a deep breath and collecting himself before reaching his other hand up to the sky.

**“Wind!”**

And with that, a large gust snaked its way around the two and launched them high up into the air, out of the pit of quicksand they had been stuck in a moment before. From their high vantage point, Omi could see a nearby stream, and he called upon his own element. 

**“Water!”**

The water rose up to meet them as they began to fall downwards, and the stream shaped itself to form a hand that caught the two as they began to fall down. 

Now that they were out of danger, Raimundo began to laugh as he wiped the muck off of his clothes. He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out into the dusky morning. “That was a nice try, Clay!”

In a deep thicket not too far away, Clay groaned as he looked up at Rai and Omi. “Aw, doggone it. I blew our cover.”

Next to him, Kimiko shrugged. “Yeah, but that was a really good shot anyways. We almost got them.” She grinned wickedly. “So, what do you say we just let loose and have some fun?”

Clay smiled down at her. “Ladies first.”

Kimiko rubbed her hands together, her breath starting to come out as smoke. “Fire!” she whispered, and she brought her arms out to release little bundles of flame that snaked their way through the tall grasses. 

It didn’t take long for the whole field to light up, and from their high viewpoint, Raimundo and Omi looked at the circle of flame surrounding them. 

“They’re foxing us in!” cried Omi, pointing down.

“That’s boxing us in,” corrected Raimundo. “And not for long.” Raimundo grabbed Omi’s hand and the two jumped into the air, crying out their next attack.

“Shoku Thunderbird!”

“ **Wind!** ” cried Raimundo.

“ **Water!** ” shouted Omi.

Clouds gathered overhead, and rain began to fall. Soon, the fires below began to die down, and through the misty rainfall, Omi and Raimundo spotted Kimiko as she walked towards them, squeezing the water out of her hair. The two boys felt the watery hand lower them down to the ground, and Omi stepped forward to greet her as she approached them

“It seems as if we have foiled your plans, Kimiko. My apologies.”

“Don’t apologize to me yet, Omi,” she said, tossing her hair and winking. “Whoever said I didn’t get exactly what I wanted?’

Omi tilted his head in confusion, but he did not have time to mull over her words because at that moment, a voice rang out from his far left –

“Seismic Kick! **Earth!** ”

And just like that, a wave just below the Earth’s surface came rushing towards him, knocking Raimundo off of his feet and carrying Omi far away from his leader. Another wave of earth followed suit, this time, with Clay riding purposefully on top, winking at Kimiko as he passed by.

Rai watched them leave before looking back at Kimiko, nodding in approval. “Using the fires to distract us and catch us off guard. Not bad.” He assumed a fighting stance. “ So, now that you’re here, how about you give it all you got!”

He lunged at her, and the battle began.

Meanwhile, the wave of Earth that Omi was desperately clinging to sank below the surface, and Omi, dizzy from the experience, only had a few seconds to collect himself before Clay was on him, striking and kicking and giving the little monk a run for his money as a Xiaolin Warrior.

Omi dodged and weaved, unwilling to give up so easily. “Tsunami Strike! **Water!** ”

“Wudai Crater! **Earth!”**

The two boys, and their elements, clashed over and over and over. On and on they fought, until Clay, spotting an opportunity, waited until Omi landed on the ground after a particularly impressive jump, and stomped on the ground – HARD. The shockwave that he created sent Omi stumbling off of his feet again, and Clay furrowed his brow as he focused on the earth below Omi’s feet. A sinkhole began to form and soon, Omi was neck deep in dirt, looking up at Clay as he struggled to free himself. But it was no use.

Clay tipped his hat down at his friend. “Sorry, lil partner, but it’s the end of the line for you.”

Omi grinned. “Most impressive, Clay. You passed.”

Clay brought his hands up, and the earth brought Omi up with it. The little monk reached into his robe and pulled out a small Chinese coin. “Here,” he said, proud. “You’ve completed the training exercise.”

Clay smiled down at his prize, before something caught his eye. He and Omi stared at the flashes of fire in the distance. “Looks like Kimiko still needs to grab hers.” Clay commented, looking over to Omi. “Wanna get a better view?”

Omi nodded. “Yes, please!”

And with that, Clay pocketed the coin and planted his feet firmly on the ground. The earth under their feet shot up into one tall column of rock, and the two sat down and watched as Rai and Kimiko fought on. 

“Typhoon Boom! **Wind!** ”

Kimiko dodged the oncoming attack and serpentined her way towards her opponent.“Give me that coin, Rai!” she shouted as she began to unleash a volley of punches at him.

“Uh-uh!” said Raimundo, dodging each punch. “You gotta earn it, sister!” With that, he caught her fist in his hands and swung her around. “And you gotta earn it soon! You’re running out of time!”

Kimiko scrambled to regain her balance, realizing with a sinking feeling that the sun was beginning to rise. “Shoot, shoot, shoot,” she muttered under her breath as she conjured up some flames in the palm of her hand and turned to see where her opponent had gone.

“Kimiko!” yelled Omi from Clay’s column of rock. “Stay calm! You can do this!”

“Go get him, Kim!” yelled Clay. “You can make it!”

Kimiko, spotting Rai sitting on the branches of a nearby tree, began to run at him full speed, feeling her body engulf itself in flames and the grasses beneath her feet give way to her fury. Raimundo summoned a gust of wind that blew through the trees, and sent a wave of leaves her way that snaked their way around her and obscured her vision.

Kimiko sent blasts of flame to burn them away, but every time she made a hole in the wall of leaves, more leaves would soon take their place. And the sun continued to rise.

Concentrating on the heat that bubbled beneath her surface, on her element, on her essence, she screamed **“FIRE!”** and felt the heat erupt out of her skin.

The boys watched as Rai’s leaf attack burned away at the hot ball of fire that Kimiko had created, a ball of gold and red flames that glowed in the field like a small sun.

“Hoo-ee! Go, Kimiko!” cheered Clay.

The ball of fire burned for half a minute before it began to die down. Clay’s smile faltered when he saw that no one was inside of it.

“Is this another trick?” asked Omi, walking to the edge of the column of rock.

“I…don’t know,” admitted Clay, and he stomped once, causing the column of rock they were standing on to sink down and become part of the flat field beneath them once more.

Raimundo looked around, searching for Kimiko, starting to get a strange feeling in his gut. Behind him, the sun rose, a disc of red and orange on the ever-lightening horizon. “Okay, that’s it. Your time’s up,” he called, searching for the only girl on his team. “You can come out now.”

No one answered him. Where Kimiko had once stood, there was nothing but a ring of blackened earth and burnt grass, with a few dying flames here and there. One of them creeped closer and closer to him, but he ignored it as he walked this way and that, hoping to catch a glimpse of black hair or blue eyes. “Hey, come on, this isn’t funny,” he called again. “Kimiko, where are you?”

“Everything alright?”

Rai shook his head at Clay and Omi jogging towards them. “I can’t find Kimiko! Do you think she hurt herself in that last attack?!”

“That can’t be,” said Omi, trying to hide the fear in his voice. “Kimiko has proven time and time again that she is impervious to heat.”

“Everyone has their limits,” said Clay, looking around and starting to panic. “Hey, Kimiko!”

“Kimiko?!”

“Stop messing around and come out already – AGH!”

Raimundo yelped as the grass fire he had been ignoring before suddenly rushed right up to him and began to latch onto his arm.

“Yo, what is with this fire? Omi, can you put this out?”

Omi blinked at the strange flames for only a moment before concentrating on his element. “Shoku Neptune! **WATER.** ”

Puddles from the earlier storm he and Raimundo created zoomed towards the flames and splashed onto them, and they hissed angrily before they turned back into a familiar face. “OW!” cried Kimiko as she shook the water out of her eyes. “Omi! What the heck? I said I’m right here!”

The boys stared at her in disbelief, and despite herself, Kimiko felt her anger rise. “Why are you all looking at me like that? You were calling me, weren’t you?”

“Kimiko,” said Clay slowly. “Those flames were you? Or, did you just use them to….teleport?”

“I…” Kimiko stumbled on her words. “What are you talking about? I’ve been standing here all this time.”

Raimundo walked up, his face serious. “Do that again.”

“Do what again?”

“Do that thing. That thing where you turn into fire.”

“I…” Kimiko shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Kimiko, a moment ago, your body was pure flame!” cried Omi, waving his arms around. 

“Really?” she asked, tilting her head in surprise.

Omi nodded. “Can you do it again?”

Kimiko bit her lip in thought, eyes downcast. “I can try.” She backed away from them and held her hands clasped in front of her, concentrating hard. All was silent for a long, solid minute, and then-

_**“FIRE!”** _

And with that, her body erupted into flames.

No.

Her body WAS flames.

Raimundo watched with a wide, goofy smile on his face as the flames moved like a sidewinder in the tall grass, winding its way up and down trees and circling her three teammates at a safe distance once, twice, three times before making their way back to them and turning back into a very ecstatic Kimiko.

“Nice work!” said Clay, clapping along with Omi.

Raimundo looked at her with a lopsided smile as she hopped up and down in excitement, holding her hands to her grinning mouth and waiting for him to say something.

“I think…” he said slowly, “You’re almost ready to become a Shoku warrior.”

Kimiko beamed as wide as she could and jumped into his arms, giddy with excitement, her words nowhere near coherent as she and Rai spun in circles in the field.

\-------------------

“You transformed your body into fire?”

Master Fung, who had just been about to take a sip of his morning tea, watched as Raimundo nodded, swallowing a mouthful of congee before he spoke. “I wouldn’t have believed it either, if I hadn’t seen it for myself, Master Fung,” he said, taking a sip of his drink. “But it really happened. We all saw it.”

“We sure did,” said Clay as he finished off his own bowl of congee. “Kimiko’s getting real close to making Shoku Warrior.”

Across the table, Kimiko turned pink. “Well, I don’t know about that,” she said, scratching the back of her head bashfully. “I mean, I’m still not even sure exactly HOW I did it. I tried to make it happen a few more times before we came to the dining hall, but nothing happened.”

“Hey, a sign is a sign is a sign.” Dojo bit into a steamed bun twice his width, shifting the foodstuff around in his arms before continuing. “You’re going to be a Shoku warrior by the end of this month, next month tops. Just keep practicing and you’ll get there.”

Kimiko smiled “Thanks, Dojo.”

“What was it like being pure fire, Kimiko?” asked Omi as he poured her a cup of tea.

She looked up at the ceiling in thought before answering.“Mmmm…It was sort of like being in a dream. I felt like I was really there, but also, like I wasn’t? I couldn’t actually feel or smell or see, but somehow, I knew where I was going and what I was doing. Like, I was pure instinct.”

“Sounds a little horrifying,” said Clay nervously.

“It was….but it was also like being made of pure energy, and that felt pretty awesome,” she said, grinning.

The four friends, their master, and their dragon talked and ate as the sky outside turned from a light pink to a bright, cheerful blue. Eventually, they made their way out of the dining hall, following Master Fung as he led them out into the courtyard.

“It is time for your chores, young Dragons. Kimiko, you will tend to the Eastern grounds. Omi, you will tend to the Southern grounds. Clay, you will take the Western grounds-“

“And I’ll take the North, right?” interrupted Raimundo, as he cracked his knuckles and stretched. “Let’s go, team.”

“Just one moment.”

Raimundo turned to face Master Fung, eyebrow raised at the unreadable expression on the old man’s face. Master Fung looked down at Dojo, and the little dragon snapped to attention at once, crawling down from Master Fung’s shoulder and onto the ground. “Hey kids,” he said to Omi, Clay and Kimiko. “How about we get a move on with those chores, huh?”

As the three Dragons walked away, Master Fung watched them leave until they were out of earshot, then reached out to Raimundo.

“Raimundo, before you begin your chores, I must speak with you about an important matter.”

“Uh, okay?” said Raimundo, confused.

“Follow me.”

Raimundo obeyed, following Master Fung as he led them to a quiet corner of the Xiaolin grounds.

It was a long, quiet walk for the two, and eventually, Raimundo found himself standing in front of a pavilion on a hill that overlooked the whole Temple. The last time he had been there was the day he had arrived at the Xiaolin Temple, and Master Fung had pulled the three new students aside to speak to each of them them privately there. 

“Is everything all right, Master Fung?” Raimundo asked, beginning to feel a pang of worry gnaw at his stomach.

“Everything is fine, young monk,” said Master Fung calmly as he sat down on the stone tiles. “But there are things we must discuss. Now, sit.”

Raimundo sat in front of him, suddenly very, very nervous.

“Raimundo,” began Master Fung, “Do you remember the day you first arrived here at the Xiaolin Temple?”

Raimundo nodded uncertainly. “Yeah.”

“How long ago was that? Two years?”

“Three,” Raimundo answered quickly. “Three years, and five months. I…wow,” he said, his words sinking in. “I’ve really been here that long.”

Master Fung smiled. “How steadily time passes when you aren’t paying close attention. Raimundo, it has been three years and five months since you first stepped on these sacred grounds. It has been three years and five months since you met Kimiko, Clay and Omi, and began to be part of something beyond yourself. It has been one year since you became a Shoku warrior, and it has been one year since you became leader of the Xiaolin Dragons.”

“I……” The pit of growing dread in Raimundo’s stomach suddenly gave way to a rising panic. “Master Fung, are you about to tell me that it’s time for us to leave the temple?!”

Master Fung blinked in surprise before chuckling and waving his hand. “Certainly not, Raimundo. This is and will always be your home. No matter how old you get, or where your travels take you, the Xiaolin Temple, and all the other Temples in the world, are your sanctuary.”

Raimundo, realizing that he had leapt to his feet, sunk back down in embarrassment, laughing sheepishly. “Phew. For a second there, it sounded like we were about to say goodbye to each other.”

“Forgive me. I did not mean to imply that.”

“Good.” Raimundo’s face grew serious. “But then, what are you trying to say?”

Master Fung paused and looked off in the distance before turning back and answering. 

“Raimundo, your team is incomplete.”

Raimundo blinked in confusion, and Master Fung took that as his cue to continue on. 

“I had always known, since he was very small, that Omi would one day grow up to be the Xiaolin Dragon of Water. But just four years ago, the other Xiaolin elders and I began to see omens, omens that announced the rise of three Xiaolin dragons that waited to be discovered in the world beyond China. It was because of this I went out into the world in search of the Dragons of Fire, Earth, and Wind. Kimiko was the first Dragon I found in my travels. You were the second. Clay was the last. And once I brought all of you back here, the omens ceased. It seemed as if my quest was complete.”

His eyes grew serious.

“But lately, new omens have emerged. They announce the rise of a new member of the Xiaolin Dragons, one that has not been seen in quite some time.”

“A new Dragon?” repeated Raimundo, leaning forward in disbelief. 

Master Fung nodded and sat up straighter as he spoke his next words. “Raimundo, it is time to begin the search for the final member of the Xiaolin Dragons. It is time to begin the search for the Dragon of Wood.”

Raimundo stared at Master Fung before lowering his gaze to the tiles in front of him. “The Dragon of Wood,” he whispered.

“Yes.” Master Fung shifted in his seat, a thoughtful look crossing his face. “Four years ago, the duty of finding the Dragons fell to me. Now, things are different. The Dragons have a leader, one who has what it takes to be able to take up the journey that lies ahead. The duty to find the Xiaolin Dragon of Wood is YOURS Raimundo.”

That last sentence made Raimundo start, and he fell over backwards, and pointed a finger at himself in confirmation. “You want ME to find the Dragon of Wood?

Master Fung lifted an eyebrow in amusement. “You might still be fairly new to the chains of command, but you have proven time and time again that you are capable of good and sound judgment. And, because you are team leader, you are the one who understands just how your team fits together. You understand what kind of person your team would need not just to keep working, but to grow even stronger.” He gave a small bow to Raimundo, a gesture which threw the young man for a loop, before speaking his next words. “The rest of the Xiaolin elders and I will be here to give advice and be your counsel, but ultimately, we have decided it is your responsibility to find the next Dragon.”

“I……” It took Raimundo a few tries to say what he wanted to say. So overwhelmed was he by Master Fung’s words that he opened his mouth a few times before any words came out. “Master Fung, this is a huge honor, and thank you for trusting me with this, but…do you really think I can do this?”

Master Fung’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “You doubt yourself, young monk?”

“I…Maybe?” Raimundo stood up, walking over to the rail of the pavilion and staring off at the Temple Grounds below. “I’m not saying I don’t want to do this, or that I won’t do this, but…it’s a big job. I mean, where do I even start? Where should I start? There are hundreds of Xiaolin students all over the world. And thousands of regular kids! Trying to find the one person who will be the next Xiaolin Dragon of Wood is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack.”

“No, Raimundo,” said Master Fung, as he made his way over to his student’s side. “ The world is so very big, and millions of lives coexist together on it every second of every day. Your task will be more like trying to find a speck of gold dust in an ocean of sand.”

Master Fung immediately knew that those words had been a miscalculation on his part as Raimundo gulped and sunk down onto the tile floor, his back against the railing and his eyes staring off into nothing. “Master Fung, I’m not sure if I can do this. Not yet.”

Master Fung thought for a moment, before looking back down at his student with a smile on his face. “Raimundo, do you remember the day we met?”

Raimundo looked up at him in confusion, then nodded. “Yeah. You came to one of my performances at the circus and talked to me after the show.” Despite the dread resonating in his stomach, he snorted in laughter. “I still don’t know how you managed to sneak into the dressing room.”

Master Fung grinned. “Very good. You remember. But Raimundo, do you remember the day you found out you were the Xiaolin Dragon of Wind?”

“I…..” Raimundo shook his head. “Wasn’t that it?”

“No, Raimundo,” said Master Fung. “Think back, to before the day we met. Think back to the very first time you ever found a connection to the wind.”

Raimundo sat in silence, thinking and thinking. “Well,” he began in a small voice. “There was one time....I was with my brother and his friends….”

\-------------------

“You’re gonna win, Henrique!”

Raimundo, only eight years old, looked up at the two kites flying high above the streets of Rio de Janiero. The black one was being flown by one of the kids in the apartment two streets away from theirs. The green one was being flown by a handsome teenage boy who looked remarkably like him.

The teen grinned down at Raimundo, but only for a second, before looking back up and working the kite string to evade the black kite’s attack. “Of course, I’m going to win!” he laughed. “I’m the best there is!”

Next to him, two other boys cheered for him, one light skinned and blonde, the other black and taller than everyone else in Raimundo’s family. They watched as Henrique stuck out his tongue in concentration and yanked the kite string down at the right second, severing the black kite’s string and sending it tumbling down into the streets below. 

“You did it!” cried Raimundo as he latched onto his brother’s leg.

Henrique ruffled Raimundo’s hair with heavily bandaged fingers. “We did it, little brother!”

“Hey, man, what about us?” asked the black boy indignantly.

The blonde crossed his arms. “Is this the thanks we get for being your moral support?”

Henrique rolled his eyes in mock annoyance. “Sorry. Thank you, Lucas, and thank you, Matheus. I couldn’t have done it without you guys, either.”

Raimundo turned to the other teenagers, smiling. “Isn’t my big brother the best?”

“Yeah, he is,” nodded Lucas, bending down to ruffle Raimundo’s hair as well. “Hey, you’re lucky to be related to one of the greatest kite fighters in all of Rio!”

Matheus brushed his light hair out of his eyes. “Maybe one day you’ll be one of the greatest too!”

“I…yeah….” said Raimundo nervously, his smile faltering for only a second.

It did not go unnoticed by Henrique, who cleared his throat for their attention. “Hey, Luke, Mattie, can you guys grab me some more bandages? They’re in my bedroom.”

“Sure,” shrugged Matheus, and he and Lucas walked down the stairs of the roof into the Pedrosa household below. 

Henrique edged his way closer to Raimundo, looking down at his sibling in concern. “….Why the long face, little brother?” he asked.

Raimundo turned pink, embarrassed about the fact that he was so easy to read. He avoided his brother’s eyes and tried to put on a happier face. “It’s nothing. It’s just….” He sighed, finally letting himself frown. “I wish I could be more like you. You’re so good, Henrique. The way you fly kites….” He shook his head, his posture deflating a little as he thought about the last time he tried to fly a kite, and the disastrous results that came of it. “The way you fly kites is incredible. I wish I could do that.”

“Kite flying isn’t everything, Raimundo,” said Henrique as he got down on one knee to look his little brother in the eye. “There’s a lot of other things you could do that I never could.”

“Like what?” Raimundo asked, his curiosity breaking him out of his own bad mood.

Henrique shrugged, smiling encouragingly. “I don’t know. I guess it’s your job to find out.”

“Here, man!”

Matheus came jogging up the stairs and handed Henrique the box of bandaids. Henrique put down his kite and began to add some to the places where the glass on the kite string had cut into his fingers. Lucas watched for a moment, before catching sight of Raimundo’s worried expression. “Hey, little buddy. Why so sad?”

“Oh…uh…nothing,” lied Raimundo. “I just… always feel bad for the broken kites.”

“Why?”

Raimundo didn’t have to make a reason up – he already had one in the back of his mind. “They can’t fly anymore,” he answered.

Matheus walked over to him, pulling something out from behind his back. “Eh, we can always make others,” he said dismissively, as Raimundo recognized the object as a kite. “See? I made this one. Pretty cool, right?”

“It is pretty cool,” said Raimundo. He held the kite in his hands and admired it, a simple creation crafted of sticks and a blue plastic shopping bag, before handing it over to Henrique. 

“Hmm….You did a good job, for a beginner,” said Henrique appraisingly. He looked up and grinned. “But can it fly?”

“Of course it can fly!” said Matheus indignantly, pointedly ignoring Lucas’s stifled laughter behind him. “See for yourself!”

Henrique shrugged and sent it off into the sky, letting it fly higher and higher. Soon the four boys were back to fighting other kites and other kite flyers from around the neighborhood. Raimundo watched in awe as Henrique took out one kite, then another, then another, then another.

“Got another one!” cried Henrique, as a purple kite slowly fell to the world below.

“Yes!” cried Lucas, running over to the edge of the roof to see where it fell. “Did you see where it went, Matheus?” When he didn’t get an answer, he looked over to his friend standing on the other side of the roof. “Matheus?”

Matheus stood still, watching something in the air. Lucas, Raimundo and Henrique looked up and saw a pink kite, entangled in a fight with a yellow kite. The pink kite went high, hit low, and the yellow kite was severed from its string. 

“That pink kite is pretty good,” said Henrique, leaning against the railing of the roof as his eyes followed the yellow kite’s fall. “It’s taken out every single one that’s challenged it.”

“Yeah. That girl’s a really good kite fighter.”

Lucas rolled his eyes at Matheus. “You dummy. How do you know it’s a girl flying the kite?”

“I can see her for myself,” said Matheus, and he turned around to show a pair of binoculars around his neck. “I brought these along to watch the kite battles better.” He lifted them up and looked back down at the streets below. “Anyways, it’s a girl. She’s like, a year older than us, maybe? She’s kind of pretty, too.”

“Let me see!” said Lucas as he scrambled over to tug the binoculars away.

“Hey, quit it!” snapped Matheus angrily, struggling to get away from his friend.

“Come on, just a for a second!”

“Lucas, back off!”

“Hey guys?” asked Raimundo nervously, looking up at the sky.

Lucas and Matheus paused in their arguing to see that the only two kites left in the sky were the pink kite and the kite Henrique flew.

“I guess it’s just us, huh?” said Henrique, looking up at the pink kite.

No one spoke for a moment. Then, Lucas clapped a hand on Henrique’s shoulder. “Take her down.”

Henrique nodded, readying himself for battle. “Right.” With that he began to move the string and direct the kite towards his opponent and the fight began.

For several tense minutes the boys below watched as Henrique weaved his kite this way and that, swooping high and low, avoiding the pink kite and at times, holding still, baiting it to come closer. The pink kite never took the bait, and actually kept Raimundo’s older brother on his toes, swooping close enough to make Henrique sweat and mutter light curses under his breath. As the seconds ticked by, Raimundo began to realize that, for the first time in a long time, his brother wasn’t going to win the fight.

And then it happened – Henrique, in his growing stress, made a left when he should have made a right, and the pink kite came swooping in to cut the kite string.

“No!” Raimundo cried as he looked up at the kite, running over to the edge of the roof. _**“STOP!”**_ and he reached out a hand instinctively at the two kites up above-

-and sent a blast of wind shooting up out of his hand and blowing both kites high up into the air and out of the hands of their owners.

Raimundo watched as the two kites fell to the earth, barely registering what just happened. He turned around to face his brother and his friends, and the older boys were gawking at him like he had grown a second head.

His older brother was eyeing him with an intense stare, his voice shaky. “Raimundo?”

Raimundo cringed at the sound of his own name and he began to babble, tears welling up in his eyes. “I….Henrique,” he said in a trembling voice, “I’m so sorry. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have lost, you wouldn’t have-I’m so sorry, big brother! I was-!“

But Raimundo was cut short as Henrique lunged at him and held him by the shoulders. _“Do that again!”_ he cried, his eyes as wide as saucer plates.

“D-do what?” stuttered Raimundo, taken aback by the manic look on his brother’s face.

“Raimundo, you just moved the _wind!”_ said Lucas in complete shock as he stepped forward, throwing his hands up in the air as he spoke. _“YOU MOVED THE WIND!”_

“What?” asked Raimundo, looking around, trying to see if they were playing a joke on him. But they were all very serious, watching him with something between fear and absolute elation.

“Do it again!” said Matheus, looking around frantically for something. He spotted Henrique’s green kite, snatched it off the ground, cut the string with his pocket knife, and held it out to Raimundo with hands trembling from excitement. “Try and make another breeze! See if you can make this fly!”

“I….um…” Raimundo stared at the kite in front of him, carefully taking it into his own hands. He looked around at the eyes staring expectantly at him, decided there was no getting out of it, then tossed the kite up in the air. Before it fell, Raimundo scrunched his eyes closed and shoved both arms in front of him in a pushing motion, praying that something, anything, would happen. 

And something did happen. He conjured another breeze, a gentler breeze, that caught the kite before it hit the ground and sent it swooping upwards in a shaky flight pattern like a bird just learning to use its wings. The older boys started cheering as they watched it zoom upwards. Raimundo, incredulous at his luck, began to move his arms this way and that, realizing that the wind was moving WITh him. Laughing as he realized that he wasn’t imagining it all, he began trying to move the kite higher and higher and keep it from landing.

 _“How are you doing that?”_ asked Lucas as the kite bumped against his head before flying over to Matheus, watching as Matheus tried to grab it out of the air.

“I don’t know,” said Raimundo, too busy focusing on keeping the kite afloat to really think about it. “I just…I feel the way the wind moves and I just….try to make the kite move with it. It’s…….It's easy.” 

He blinked, realizing what he just said. _Why is this so easy?_ , he wondered.

Henrique, who had been staring at the kite with his mouth flying open for a solid minute, collected himself and pointed first at his little brother, then his friends. “Raimundo, _keep doing that,_ and don’t you dare stop! Lucas, Matheus, go get my sisters! Marifer and Yarah have to see this!”

Lucas and Matheus ran down the stairs, calling for Raimundo’s older sisters and interrupting their cooking below. Henrique walked up next to Raimundo, careful not to disturb or distract him from his task, but needing to get a better look at what was happening. He watched the kite go higher and higher in the sky, laughing in amazement as the winds Raimundo summoned blew his hair this way and that.

“Wow. That’s incredible, Raimundo!” He began to laugh even harder, shielding his eyes from the sun and never taking his eyes off of the sky above. “Hey, _I wish I could do that!”_

By then, little Raimundo’s arms had been getting tired, but at the sound of those words, he beamed with pride and sent another gust of wind upwards to boost the kite higher and higher towards the golden afternoon sun....

\------------------

Raimundo finished his story and sat back, somewhat dazed. It slowly dawned on him that he had never told this story to anyone before, and he shook his head to rid himself of the fog of old memories and come back to reality.

Beside him, Master Fung reached out a hand to help him to his feet.  
“Before we met, before you even knew my name, Raimundo, you were the Xiaolin Dragon of Wind.”

“I….I guess you’re right,” said Raimundo as he took his hand and stood up. His feet were planted firmly on the ground, and yet his head was still spinning. “I’ve….I’ve never thought about it like that before.”

Out of respect for his student, Master Fung sat back and remained silent for a moment, and for a while the only sounds that could be heard were the birds in the trees and the grasses hissing softly in the wind. Eventually, he began to speak again.

“Raimundo,” he began delicately, “the task that lies ahead of you is a great one. It is one that you must take seriously. But, it is not impossible. In fact, it might even be easier than you think. In every person, there is good, and there is evil. And in every person, there are the elements. Some are more prevalent then others, while others are almost non-existent. But within every person, there is potential. There is magic. The Xiaolin Dragons have always had this magic as well – but more than ordinary people. Much more. It is their responsibility, and their destiny, to wield this power to look after and care for the world. With such an important duty to the world and to the people that live in it, this magic has a way of making itself known. Some might say, obvious. When you find them, you will know.”

For a moment, Master Fung paused and looked at Raimundo with an expression Raimundo could not name. But whatever it was, it was only on his face for a moment, before it melted away into fondness, trust and immense pride.

“Raimundo, you’ve grown so much, and you’ve become more than I ever thought you could be.” Master Fung put a comforting hand on his student’s shoulder. “I am proud of who you are, and I have the utmost confidence that no matter how hard or impossible the tasks you encounter on your journey, you can accomplish what needs to be done.”

His words gave Raimundo strength, clearing away his doubt like a breath of fresh air in a dark, windowless room. He began to nod and smile, and move backwards out of the pavilion with a renewed sense of purpose. “Thank you, Master Fung,” he said, too distracted to notice where he was going. “I won’t let you down. I won’t- _AAH!”_

Raimundo fell backwards in the middle of his sentence, having not seen that he was getting dangerously close to the steps of the pavilion. He stumbled over himself a couple of times before landing at the base of the stairs in a crumpled heap.

Master Fung rushed over immediately, eyes wide and worry in his voice. “Raimundo!”

Still bruised and sore, Raimundo shot up, beaming up at him sheepishly, his energy no less diminished. “I’m okay! I’m cool. Nothing’s broken.” He turned around, shouting back to his Master. “I won’t let you down, Master Fung! I’ll start the search tomorrow and I won’t stop until I’ve found the Dragon of Wood!”

And with that, he was off, rushing off to the Xiaolin Temple like a sudden summer breeze.

“Take care, young monk!” Master Fung called out as he watched the young man become a small dot on the horizon. His face hardened, and he let out a long, weary breath. “The path that lies ahead might be just as rough,” he whispered to himself.

\----------------------

“Wow. So we’re really going to have a new person on the team?”

All four Dragons sat in a circle within Raimundo’s small little room. Omi, Clay and Kimiko had patiently waited all day for Raimundo to tell them about his conversation, and now that everyone else had gone to sleep, they finally had their chance to talk about the news.

Raimundo nodded at Kimiko’s words, holding his soccer ball in his hands contemplatively. “Yeah. It’s a pretty big deal, and I might have to have you take charge of the team a lot pretty soon, if I’m going to be traveling for this job. But if Master Fung thinks I can do it, then tomorrow morning, I begin the search for -“

“A Xiaolin Dragon of Wood!” interrupted Omi in a voice loud enough to have the others frantically shush him. He barely heard them. Up until then he had been sitting in silence with a dumbstruck expression, but now he was literally vibrating with excitement, a manic smile on his face. “We are going to search for the Xiaolin Dragon of Wood! I can barely contain my excitement! There hasn’t been a Dragon of Wood for _centuries!”_

At this, Raimundo sat up straighter, his interest piqued. “Really? Why not?”

Omi shook his head, leaping onto his feet and beginning to pace back and forth. “Nobody knows – or, rather, no one who isn’t of the highest rank knows. I may be the Xiaolin Dragon of Water, and a Shoku Warrior, but none of the elders, including Master Fung, has ever told me just why the Dragon of Wood isn’t in every generation of Xiaolin Dragons.”

“Are they supposed to be better warriors than the other Dragons?” asked Kimiko, watching him pace.

“I don’t know!”

Clay scratched his head. “Is it one of those mystical destiny thingamajigs where they only show up once in a thousand years, or whatever?”

“ _I don’t know!_ I don’t know _anything,”_ said Omi as he threw his arms up in the air. “That is what is so amazing about this! I have been raised in the ways of the Xiaolin my entire life, but everything about the Dragon of Wood is a mystery to me. It is a mystery we are going to find out together! For the first time in hundreds of years, we are going to see a new Xiaolin Dragon of Wood! We are going to meet them! To train them! To fight with them! Oh, I cannot wait!” Omi finally stopped, hopping up and down in elation. “It is almost too good to be true! _Somebody punch me!”_

“That’s ‘pinch’ me, lil partner,” laughed Clay as he pulled Omi down to sit once again. “You _really_ don’t want to mix the two words up when you use that expression.”

Raimundo watched his three teammates laugh together, and the weight on his heart lifted. What could he say? Omi’s optimism was infectious. He smiled, suddenly much more relaxed than before. “If that’s the way you’re looking at it, Omi, then that’s how I’ll look at this, too.”

“Meaning?” asked Kimiko, raising an eyebrow.

“Meaning that, this is gonna be the biggest job I’ve been given since I became Team Leader, and….I don’t know.” Raimundo shrugged. “I guess I’m a little nervous about getting it done right.”

“Don’t worry, Rai,” said Kimiko, putting an arm around his shoulder. “We’re your team. And your friends. Whatever happens, you have us.”

Clay put an arm around Raimundo’s other shoulder, nodding in agreement. “Come Heck or Highwater, we’ll always have your back, Rai.”

“Aww.” Raimundo laughed, feeling the tips of his ears turn pink from all the attention. “Thanks, guys.”

Omi reached out and patted Raimundo’s hand comfortingly. “Do not be intimidated by the journey that lies ahead, Raimundo. We will help however we can. Your task right now is to seek them out and find them.” He stood back, striking a confident pose. “Once you have brought them back to the Temple, I will teach them all I know!”

 **“Ahem!”** said Kimiko, narrowing her eyes at Omi dangerously.

“Oh, sorry,” said Omi, blushing and smiling nervously. “ _We_ will teach them all _we_ know!”

“That’s more like it, partner.”

The four laughed at that, and soon their conversation gave way to a long stretch of silence. For a moment, they just enjoyed it. Kimiko played on her phone, Clay worked on a small wooden carving of a coyote, and Raimundo and Omi rolled the soccer ball back and forth between themselves. Then, Raimundo spoke again, looking up at Clay.

“So…what do you think the Dragon of Wood will be like when we meet them?”

Clay paused in the middle of his carving. “Hard to say. When I heard that I was going to meet the Dragons of Water, Fire and Wind, I had a _pretty_ different idea of who you all were going to be than who you all _actually_ turned out to be.” He finished off the coyote before speaking again. “Come to think of it, I never expected a ranch boy like me to be the Dragon of _anything._ ”

“In any case, we can only hope the Dragon of Wood is willing to have us train him,” said Omi, looking up at Raimundo.

“Or her,” said Kimiko as she put her phone away. “It’s a big world, Omi. The Dragon of Wood has a very good chance of being a girl.”

Omi sat back, humbled. “I did not even think of that. Another female on the team……” The thought seemed to intrigue him, and he scratched his chin in thought. “What do you think she’d be like? Would she like us? Do you think she’d like it here? Did you like it here when you first came, Kimiko?”

“Well, it took some getting used to, but that’s because I grew up in Tokyo. Before I came here, I’d never been outside of a city.” Kimiko yawned, playing with her hair as she thought. “Maybe the Dragon of Wood grew up super traditional, or near nature, and they’d be right at home here. They could live in the suburbs, or in a cabin in the woods, or maybe they’re nomadic, or maybe they live in an igloo up close to the North Pole. It’s hard to say. Whoever the Dragon of Wood is, is a complete mystery right now.” She paused and sat back. “We’ll just have to learn about them when we find them.”

“If she were a girl, do you think you two would be friends?” asked Omi.

Kimiko smiled. “That would be really nice. I mean…” She fell silent for a moment, before sitting up and looking up at the boy’s questioning stares. “You guys are my best friends and I love you all, and I don’t want to hurt your feelings by saying this….but I always sort of hoped we could have another girl around the dojo I could talk to.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with that,” said Clay with a soft smile. “My sister’s never been the social butterfly type, but even she always liked hanging around other girls.” He coughed, his voice taking on a slight edge as he looked away. _“Even if they weren’t exactly on the right side of the law…..”_

“And hey, if we’re lucky, maybe the Dragon of Wood will be cute,” said Raimundo, grinning mischievously.

“Rai, you _pig!”_ said Kimiko, bopping him on the head with her pillow.

Clay and Omi laughed as they watched Raimundo fruitlessly try to evade Kimiko’s pillow attacks, but stopped as soon as they saw the light of a lantern coming closer from the end of the hallway.

“Hey, what’s with all the racket?”

Dojo crawled around the corner, carrying a tiny lantern and wearing an even tinier bathrobe. There was something pink smeared on his face, and a sleep mask poked out of his pocket as he looked them up and down with displeasure. “Do you know how late it is? A dragon my age needs his beauty sleep! Lights out was twenty minutes ago. What are you all still doing up?”

“Sorry, little partner,” said Clay. “Rai just told us about the Dragon of Wood mission he’s been given and I guess we all got a little excited.”

“Oh.” Dojo lowered his arm, looking away. “I see.”

“Dojo, what do YOU know about the Dragon of Wood?” asked Kimiko, scooting closer to the small dragon.

 **“Nothing!”** said Dojo, a little too quickly. It did not go unnoticed, and he avoided Kimiko’s suspicious gaze with a nervous laugh. “Uh, why do you ask?”

“Well,” said Raimundo, crossing his legs, “I was hoping, since you’re the oldest person I know, you could tell me more about them. Or, how to find them?”

Dojo groaned. “You know, I will admit that I’ve picked up my fair share of wisdom in the hundreds of years I’ve been alive, but there’s still a lot I don’t know kids.”

He watched as their faces fell in disappointment, and as a small flicker of uncertainty passed over Raimundo’s face. Dojo relented, and made his way on to Raimundo’s lap.

“But,” he said as he got cozy, “if there’s one thing you got to remember while you look for the Dragon of Wood, it’s this: _Magic seeks out magic.”_

“Magic seeks out magic?” repeated Raimundo, confused.

“Yeah,” said Dojo, nodding enthusiastically. “It has a funny way of doing that. It’s real intuitive. It’s like me and Shen Gong Wu. I’ve been around for over 1500 years, and no matter how much the world has changed, I have never been able to mistake the feeling of Shen Gong Wu for anything else. It’s why the Xiaolin and Heylin have been fighting each other for thousands of years – because the magic within the forces of good seeks out the magic within the forces of evil. Our destinies intertwine with each others, and it’s all because _magic seeks out magic.”_

He stopped and looked around the room, gesturing to each other Dragon. “Whether you want it to or not, the magic within each of you will guide you to the Dragon of Wood. And when it comes to the magic within Dragons…..Well.” He chuckled, somewhat condescendingly. “Humans are…interesting creatures. You’re all pretty good at fighting fate most of the time, but when it comes to being a Xiaolin Dragon, you either _are,_ or you _aren’t._ ” He turned back to Raimundo and winked. “Trust me kid, when you find who you’re looking for, you’ll know.”

Raimundo looked down at him, soaking in his words. Dojo cocked his head, smiling up at him. “Did that help?”

“Uh, sort of?” I mean-“ He began, as Dojo frowned. “Master Fung basically said the same thing.”

Dojo poked him in the chest indignantly. “Well, Mr Ungrateful, there’s a reason for that. Sometimes, things are easier than you think they are.” With that, he hopped off of Raimundo’s lap. “But if you need some more of my pearls of wisdom, then how about this? Start with the Xiaolin Temples. Go and visit the other Xiaolin Warriors all around the world. Eliminate your choices there. If no one in any Temple in any part of the world is the right pick, then that’s when you start searching different parts of the world.”

“Would that really work?” asked Kimiko.

Dojo shrugged. “It’s what Master Fung did when he started to search for you three.”

“Well, there is a logic to it,” admitted Omi, looking at Raimundo. 

Dojo picked up his lantern and turned to leave. “It’s a big job, but if you take baby steps and remember that magic seeks out magic, then you’ll get where you need to go.”

It was just before he crawled around the corner when Kimiko called out after him. 

“…..Dojo,” she said slowly, her voice causing the dragon to stop. “Is it possible that we’ve already MET the Dragon of Wood?” He turned to look at her, and she continued on. “I mean, we’ve run into a lot of people over the years through our adventures together. Is it possible that one of the people we’ve met IS the Dragon of Wood?”

Dojo thought for a moment. “Maybe. It’s only recently that the omens of a new dragon on the rise have been showing up. You could have met them already and not known it because their potential was still dormant. If you did meet them, and ran into them again, maybe you’d, y’know, RECOGNIZE each other.”

“You did say the best place to start is within the Xiaolin Temples,” said Clay. "After that, the next best place to look-“

“Would be the people we already know who aren’t Xiaolin,” finished Raimundo, his eyes brightening.

“Or Heylin, obviously,” added Kimiko.

“Right,” said Clay, crossing his arms in thought. “So who do we know already outside of the temples and out of the Heylin side that would make for good Xiaolin Dragon material?”

Omi looked over to something hiding in the corner of Raimundo’s room, a small, round object peeking from behind Raimundo’s surfboard that seemed to insist on catching his eye.

It was a basketball.

Omi smiled. 

“I can think of one person that would be most suitable for the job.”


	4. Jermaine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all! Sorry it took me so long to get this up! I've got this new job in a field I'm not experienced in and I've been trying to keep up with everything there for these past weeks. I hate that I haven't posted anything lately, though, so I'm going to try to keep a schedule to post updates twice a month, if not once a month at least. My work schedule can fluctuate and the holidays are coming up and unfortunately I can't guarantee exact dates. I do however want to keep this going as promptly as I am able for your sake! And I'll do what I can to make it happen!
> 
> Just know that if it's taking me a while to post a chapter, it's because a) I'm not satisfied with it or b) i've got other things to focus on or c) both of the above.
> 
> I love you guys. Your comments have made me cry from happiness and I'm super grateful for each and every one of you who has given my pic a chance so far! I'll stop blabbing soon, but I just wanted to say - I've read all your comments and they mean a lot. I've seen your kudos. Some of you have recommended my fic to other people. There are no words in this language or any other that can express how grateful I am for what you've given me thus far, so I'll just stick to four:
> 
> Thank you for everything.
> 
> Now let's get back to business.

It was in the moments right in the middle of a fight that Jermaine found himself most at peace.

 _Huh,_ thought Jermaine as he dodged his opponent’s blows with fluid ease. _Peace in fighting. Now that’s just straight up weird._

And yet, it was true.

Here he was, in the middle of an abandoned warehouse on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, in the middle of crowds of cheering, catcalling strangers, going up against someone twice his height and twice his age in a glorious battle of unsanctioned combat. His opponent was beefy and broad shouldered, and he towered over Jermaine like a skyscraper in black kung-fu robes with a bright pink sash around his middle. He was definitely an adult, but it was hard to tell exactly how old he was, because over his face, he wore a black luchador mask with a brightly colored sugar skull motif, leaving only his fiery dark eyes clearly visible. Tall, dark, and intimidating, he contrasted sharply with short, lean Jermaine in his orange kung-fu robes and bandana. He was exactly the type of guy that would send most kids his age scattering away.

Jermaine wasn’t afraid though. El Muerte was one fierce fighter, but so was he, and as he blocked a few of El Muerte’s punches with surprising success, he could swear he saw a flicker of fear on the older man’s face. It was gone in less than a second and replaced with cold, passionate determination to win, and Jermaine countered it with a defiant glare of his own. The pattern on the bandana hiding his face resembled a tiger’s open, roaring mouth, and knowing that he was wearing his lucky charm made Jermaine feel even more unstoppable than usual. He slowly eased up on using defensive moves and began to look for weak spots, jabbing here, kicking there. Before they both knew it, the roles had reversed, and suddenly it was El Muerte dodging his blows. The audience had been going nuts before, but chaos became absolute Bedlam as Jermaine began to land a few hits on his opponent.

“Well, wouldja look at ‘dis, ladies and gents!” cried the commentator on the intercom overhead, his voice cracking with excitement. “Ahmed, I don’t believe what I’m seein’! J, everyone’s favorite newcomer and the long shot in this match, has gained the upper hand!”

“I don’t believe it either, Marty,” said the other commentator, laughing in amazement. “El Muerte, the Undertaker of the Bronx, can’t even hold a candle to this 'ere kid!”

 _That’s right,_ thought Jermaine as he grinned behind his bandana. _He can’t._

And with that, he stopped holding back.

El Muerte's pupils shrunk in surprise as Jermaine’s blows got fiercer, faster, and much more concentrated and purposeful in their delivery. Before, he had just been avoiding getting hit, but now Jermaine had him completely on the defensive, giving him no chances, no weak spots, nothing to exploit as he desperately tried to dodge his kicks and punches. His heart pounding in his ears and his body buzzing with energy, Jermaine began to lose himself in the raw, beautiful feeling of kung-fu.

There were a lot of feelings tied up in fighting itself- especially like this, late at night, in an underground fighting ring miles from home. Fear at what would happen if his family found out. Guilt for lying to them all just to be here. Apprehension and second thoughts that had slowly built up over the past weeks as he trained in secret for this fight.

But here? Here in the ring, there was no room for any of that.

There was no room for doubt. There was no room for anxiety. The cheering of the crowd all around him, as loud as waves crashing on a shoreline, drowned out the little voice in the back of his head telling him that coming here had been a mistake. The adrenaline in his body banished every little uncomfortable thought to the furthest corners of his mind. 

There was no backing out. It was far too late for that. There was no guilt, there was no fear.

And most importantly? 

_There were no regrets._

El Muerte, trying to find a moment to land a hit on Jermaine, shifted his body and left an opening - a small one, but an opening nonetheless. Jermaine took the opportunity, got on the floor, and swung his leg around to kick at El Muerte’s feet. The older man crashed to the ground, causing the crowd to cry out in disbelief and both commentators to cackle and let out swears of surprise. El Muerte, still a little shaken from the experience, sat up and found himself staring up at Jermaine, standing in a defensive pose and looking down at him from behind his bandana.

El Muerte shook his head in disbelief, his eyes widening as he panted. “What are you?” he asked.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Jermaine winked. “I’m the dude that’s about to take you down.”

Though Jermaine could not see the man’s expression, his eyes twinkled with approval, and he barked out a very impressed laugh. ”Not bad, kid!”

_Not bad._

Jermaine’s grin fell, and the crowd, the ring, and everything else around him faded out. The cheers that were so loud before were suddenly far too quiet, muffled and barely louder than a whisper. Jermaine looked around, but the faces in the crowd had become fuzzy and out of focus, almost as if he was looking at the world through a foggy window. The commentators said something over the intercom above, but whatever it was came out as scratchy, incomprehensible static that left his ears ringing. Jermaine stood for a moment, his blood turning to ice in his veins as his eyes flicked back and forth, trying to make sense of it all, and when he finally looked back at his opponent, he was shocked to see that he was no longer there. Instead, someone else had taken his place, and that someone was the last person Jermaine ever wanted to see in this life or the next.

Bronze armor. Long hair. A confident, menacing smile. Sharp, inhuman teeth. The figure nodded at the horrified teenager, his deep amber eyes filled with pride and amusement. “Not bad at all,” he said softly, walking closer.

Jermaine took a step back, wanting desperately to run but finding his feet rooted to the spot. The phantom in front of him took no notice, and instead straightened his posture and bowed to him. The respectful gesture sent a chill up Jermaine’s spine, his stomach beginning to churn with dread as beads of sweat began to form on his brow.

The phantom stood back up, laughing to himself in a voice that was warm, low, and dangerous. “I congratulate you. You’ve gotten so much better…. _my student.”_

Jermaine shook his head, his breathing becoming shallower. “No,” he said, his voice shaky and uneven. “No, I’m not your student anymore, I’m _not-“_

WHAM.

Out of nowhere, Jermaine took a kick to his side, and he felt himself falling to the ground. As the impact of the blow resonated throughout his body, the world started to return to normal. The faces in the crowd came rushing back into focus as the voice over the intercom started to speak actual words again.

“3…2….1…and it’s over! El Muerte wins!”

“I…don’t believe this,” said the other commentator. “What the heck just happened?!”

Groaning and hissing in pain, Jermaine tried to collect himself as he got up on one knee, looking around. Some of the people in the crowd were cheering loudly for El Muerte, a few actually climbing into the ring to slap him on the back and gush over him, elated at his victory. Others were looking right at Jermaine, throwing their arms up in exasperation at his loss, or blinking in confusion at the sudden change in the match. El Muerte himself seemed distracted from his fans and their praise, craning his neck over them to get a better look at Jermaine. His expression was unreadable, but intense.

“You okay, kid?”

A referee had gone over to Jermaine without him even noticing, holding a hand out to help him up off the floor. “That was a heck of a nasty fall,” he said, eyeing Jermaine with concern.

Jermaine took his hand, forcing a casual, nonchalant voice. “Yeah, I’m alright. See?” he said, flexing a little as he stood up straight in what he hoped was a confident pose. “’S all good!”

The referee didn’t look convinced, his mustache twitching as he looked the boy over a few times before speaking. “You seem a little shaken up from that last move. The EMTs are in the back. Let’s get you to them, see what they think.”

Jermaine shrugged, deflating a little. “If you say so, man.” he said.

The referee turned to leave, and Jermaine followed obediently, wincing at the unpleasant feeling in his ribs and knowing he’d be sporting the bruises from the fight for weeks. 

But right before he stepped off of the ring, he looked back one last time, just to be sure Chase Young wasn’t following close behind.

\-------

Thirty minutes later, Jermaine, after being cleaned up by the EMTs and after taking a short, hot shower, packed up his robes as he got ready to leave. Now dressed in jeans, sneakers and a hoodie, he carefully folded the bandana - his lucky bandana - into his backpack and closed it, sighing tiredly as he checked his watch and thought about the long subway ride home he had to look forward to.

It had been a good idea, after all, to get looked at by the first aid crew on duty. None of the injuries had been all that serious, but he still felt much better after they had bandaged him up, warning him to go straight to a doctor if the pain in his side didn’t leave by noon the next day. There was still a dull ache that made it hard for him to bend down and tie his shoelaces, but he had experienced that same dull ache before. It was nothing serious. It would go away. Until then, he just had to power through the pain.

And besides, the painful experience of his defeat was nothing compared to the painful experience of having to walk through crowds of his disappointed fans. 

He hadn’t been expecting the fans when he had first started coming to these fights, and even when he started competing, he still never expected to become as popular as he was now. It threw him for a loop when he found out that some of the people in the crowd - many of them fighters, and many of them much, much older than him - looked up to him for his skills and his drive. He tried to not let it get to his head, but he would be lying if he said that their enthusiasm and support weren’t a factor in the enjoyment he got out of these fights. 

So it had hurt to walk past some of them, to hear them ask about what went down in the ring…and to not have any answer that made sense waiting for them. In fact, it had hurt even worse when the commentators, Marty and Ahmed, had stopped by the locker room to ask if he was feeling okay. He knew they meant well, and that they had been genuinely worried when they saw him being led to the first aid crew, but that just made it sting all the more when he realized that he let them down on some level as well.

Jermaine groaned, and began to bang his head against one of the lockers. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he muttered to himself.

“What’s stupid is that you cheated me tonight.”

Jermaine whirled around, the sudden, unfamiliar voice causing him to jump a little. A tall, dark skinned man was standing in the doorway, wearing a ratty sports jacket, sweat pants and a gold cross around his neck. He shifted his duffel bag over his shoulder as he looked down at the teenage boy with the most intense eyes Jermaine had ever seen in a person. “I expected more from you,” he said, his voice as deep and dark as a grave. “What happened out there?”

It only took a few more seconds for Jermaine to recognize him. _“El Muerte?”_

The man gave him a curt nod, but said nothing else, waiting for an answer.

“I…..” Jermaine stumbled over his words, embarrassed about being caught, and trying to figure out what exactly it was he was supposed to say. Eventually, what came out was “How’d I cheat you? You won.”

“Exactly,” said El Muerte as he walked into the locker room, letting his duffel bag fall to the floor with a thump. He made himself comfortable on the bench nearest Jermaine, the old wood creaking under his weight before he continued to speak. “That’s just it. I won. _You_ didn’t. You know,” he said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “I wasn’t too sure about fighting you when I heard some of my friends mention who you were. You’re younger than me, you’re smaller than me. They told me you would be a great opponent, but I always held myself back from getting in a match with you because…well….” He shrugged. “I didn’t want to hurt you. I mean, on some level, you’re just another high school kid sneaking out after curfew and poking his nose where he doesn’t belong.”

“I-I’m not a high school kid!” said Jermaine, puffing himself up in indignation. “Check my I.D., I’m nineteen!”

El Muerte coughed out a laugh, and shook his head with a smile. “No, you’re not.”

Jermaine felt his ears turn hot as he pulled his backpack on with a scowl. “You going anywhere with this, man? I got a train to catch.”

“My point, _J,_ ” said El Muerte as he stood up and glared down at the teenager, “Is that the reason I kept myself from fighting you for so long is because I thought you wouldn’t be much of a challenge.” 

Jermaine glared back for a moment, and for a moment, they were both silent. And then, El Muerte’s eyes softened and he smiled down at Jermaine in approval. “But, I was wrong. That was some fight out there, J. The way you move, the way you push yourself and keep going…..I was very impressed. We all were.”

“…Oh” said Jermaine, and he could feel his face heating up at the flattery. He shifted his feet bashfully as a goofy smile spread across his face. “Well, tha-”

“But you cheated me!” said El Muerte, grabbing Jermaine by the shoulders suddenly and causing Jermaine’s smile to fall. “Right there, you were _right there,_ you had me on the ropes! I was about to lose and get my butt beat by a high school kid, by one of the best fighters I’ve ever gone up against! And then…” He trailed off, shaking his head in confusion. “What happened? You were so close to winning, but….you held yourself back.”

Jermaine looked down at the ground and bit the inside of his cheek, but didn’t answer. El Muerte let him go and stood back, still looking down at him. 

“I wanted a real fight,” he said. “I wanted a legit match with the hotshot kung-fu Little-Engine-That-Could that every underground fighter in New York City has been talking about for months. And you cheated me out of it.”

Jermaine couldn’t meet his eyes. “….I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

El Muerte sighed, some of the edge in his voice fading away as he ran a hand through his hair. “J…You don’t belong here.”

Jermaine looked up at him with a defiant and irritated stare. “I think I can decide that for myself, man,” he said coldly.

“No, listen to me,” said El Muerte as he reached a hand out to Jermaine’s shoulder again. “ _You don’t belong here._ Every Thursday night, you walk into the ring, and every Thursday night, you blow us all away. What are you _doing_ here with us bums? This is our hobby. But it could be your _future._ ” He poked Jermaine in the chest, his eyes lighting up with enthusiasm. “Get yourself to an actual master. Polish those skills. Shoot for the stars! You have so much potential, J. More potential than any one of us here. Including me.” He smiled. “You could do great things.”

 _He’s right you know,_ said a smooth, familiar voice behind Jermaine. _You could do great things. You really could._

Jermaine turned around, the back of his spine tingling at the sound of the voice - but of course, no one was there. He turned back around and saw El Muerte looking in confusion from him to the spot Jermaine had been staring at a moment ago.

“I-“ began Jermaine, but he shook his head and gave El Muerte a low, respectful bow. “Thanks. _Thank you._ What you just said means…a lot to me.” He straightened back up. “But like I said before, I think I can decide those kind of things for myself.”

El Muerte’s face fell, but he let out a breath and nodded. “Well, you’ve made your choice.” He reached out his hand. “Here.”

Jermaine stared at it, and El Muerte chuckled. “What’s the matter?” he asked, grinning. “You don’t shake hands after a fight?”

Jermaine smiled back and shook his hand. When they both pulled back, El Muerte reached out again and ruffled his hair affectionately, reminding Jermaine heavily of his Uncle Carmine in New Jersey as he laughed at Jermaine’s half-hearted protests. “Now march on outta here and get home safe, _muchacho,_ ” said El Muerte. “It’s time for me to head back to the wife. I’m sure you’ve got someone worrying about you, too.” He winked. “Don’t keep them waiting.”

“Thanks, El Muerte,” said Jermaine, laughing as he adjusted his backpack and walked out of the locker room. “Yo, see you next week.”

El Muerte watched him go, then sighed and picked his duffel bag off of the floor. “Yeah,” he murmured sadly. “Next week.”

\-------

It was a long ride back home for Jermaine, and it was made even longer by the events that evening and the way El Muerte’s words echoed around in Jermaine’s head. For what seemed like an eternity, Jermaine sat in an empty subway car, his legs propped up on the seat next to him, his head resting against the glass as he watched the world outside alternate between shadows and brief flashes of light. There was no sound save for the rattling of the subway car and the tinny voice overhead announcing stop after stop. 

Sooner or later, he found himself walking out of the subway station, down darkened street after darkened street, keeping close to the street lights and keeping his head down when he saw other people walking by. The light drizzle from earlier that day had turned into rain by the time he had left the warehouse, and now thunder rumbled overhead as Jermaine hurried past a certain basketball court. He didn’t look at it once as he walked by. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to for months.

Eventually, he came to a tall, brown building wedged between two other modest homes and walked up the crumbling steps. Jermaine fiddled with the key before walking inside, being sure to tread quietly. He closed the door behind him as softly as he could, waiting a few moments to led his eyes adjust to the darkness, listening for any signs of life. His sister was at work, and his mother should have been on her way home by now. The last thing he needed was to have her catch him coming home long after his curfew. All he had to do was go up to his room and pretend to be asleep, and then he’d be home free.

Something in the darkness came rushing at him from the other room. Jermaine, already on edge, turned sharply to face it, automatically easing into a defensive pose and getting ready for a fight. 

The “something” that had ambushed him out of nowhere began to sniff at his feet, and Jermaine narrowed his eyes at a small, fluffy shape in the darkness wiggling excitedly as it looked up at him with two shiny black eyes.

Jermaine relaxed, his body sagging in relief. “Oh, it’s just you, Peaches.”

Peaches the Dog barked at the sound of her name, bouncing around his feet excitedly and yipping louder as Jermaine scooped her up into his arms in an effort to calm her down.

“Peaches, SHHH,” he whispered frantically as he gave her a scratch behind her ear. “Calm down, baby girl. I gotta get upstairs or I'll be in trouble!”

“Uh-uh. _Too late for that.”_

The lights flicked on, and Jermaine felt his stomach fall with dread as he made eye contact with a tall black girl in her early twenties glaring at him from the other side of the room. She had been sitting in a chair at the dining table in the kitchen to his left, waiting for him to get home, and the way both her legs and her arms were crossed in front of her made Jermaine realize she was absolutely fuming with rage.

“Jermaine Louis Forrester,” she said in a cold, sharp voice as she stood up and brushed some of her curly hair back behind her ear. “Where have you been?”

“Yo! Ivory!” Jermaine laughed nervously and put Peaches back down on the floor, unable to hold eye contact with the girl for very long as he tried to figure out what to say. “I-I-I thought you were working late tonight.”

“Mom’s shift got extended. My boss owed me a favor and I came home early to check up on you.” She put her hands on her hips and walked closer, bending down to meet him at eye level. “Now answer my question: Where. Have. You. _Been?_ ” 

Jermaine had to force himself not to swallow as he shrugged and gave what he hoped was a confident smile. “I, uh, took a break from homework and went down to the corner store to get a soda. I…know Mom doesn’t like me drinking them, but I figured a one-time thing was okay.”

“You mean the corner store down the street?”

“Yeah.”

“It took you three hours to walk down the street and back?!”

Jermaine’s heart stopped. “Uh-“

Ivory stomped her foot on the ground hard enough to send some of the dishes on the counter rattling a little, and Jermaine realized that he was in _very big trouble_ and there was no getting out of it.

“It does not take anyone three hours to go to the store and back!” said Ivory as she pointed at him with emphasis. “And I don’t see any soda in your hand, either! I know you don’t think I’m that stupid Jermaine, so why are you trying to feed me all these lies? What are you hi-?”

For a moment, Ivory did nothing but stare at him with a blank expression for a solid minute, her eyes looking him up and down in thought. For Jermaine, it might as well have been an hour with how tense the air was between them. Then she spoke again, quietly. “Jermaine. Take off your hoodie.” 

Jermaine hesitated, but only for a moment. He was caught, and there was no getting out of it, and as he peeled off the thick grey hoodie, the fresh bruises and bandages on his arms and side came into view. Ivory looked him over, eyes wide, her expression melting into one of worry, then one of anger, before she smacked him on the shoulder. “I can’t believe this, you’ve been at that stupid ring again!” she said, her voice getting louder as her hysteria grew. “Jermaine, what were you thinking?!” The rage subsided for a moment, and her hands were on him as she circled him a few times over like a mother hen. “Are you hurt bad?! Do we need to take you to the hospital?”

“Ivory, calm down!” said Jermaine as he pulled her hands away and looked into her eyes. “I’m fine!”

“Fine?! You run off to get punched by strangers in some stupid fight club and that’s _‘fine?!_ ’”

“Yeah- no – I don’t know!” stuttered Jermaine, taking a step back. “Listen, Ivory, y-you gotta relax, it ain’t that big of a deal-!”

Ivory pounded her fist on the table nearby, and he hastily swallowed whatever words he was preparing to say next.

“I was _WORRIED,_ Jermaine!” she shouted, and for the first time Jermaine noticed small tears at the corners of her eyes as she continued. “I waited and waited, and it got darker outside, and _you weren’t here,_ and I came _THIS_ close to calling Mom!” she said fiercely, her voice cracking as she pinched her fingers together until they were a centimeter apart from each other. “Do you hear me?! I came THIS close to calling the _cops_!”

“I’m sorry. I-!” Jermaine swallowed the jump forming in his throat. “I didn’t know you’d be back so soon! I wanted to be back before either of you came home so that neither of you would have to worry!”

“That’s not the point!” said Ivory as the tears began to fall from her cheeks. “It’s not about us worrying, it’s about you getting hurt somewhere where we can’t find you! These are chances you can’t take! _So much could have happened!_ Look at these injuries, so much could STILL happen! Why can’t you understand that?!”

Silence, heavy and thick, like the air before a tornado, settled between them. Peaches, who had hidden herself under the dining room table when the yelling had started, poked her little black nose out from underneath the table cloth. Jermaine stood perfectly still, wanting to hug his sister, but afraid to make things worse. Ivory sniffed and walked over to the counter, pulling some napkins out of the cabinet and wiping her face. She blew her nose, took a deep breath and collected herself before she turned to face him again. Her eyes were still red, but the iron in her voice had come back.

“Why do you keep going back there? Huh?” She crossed her arms. “Tell me why.”

“I….” began Jermaine, but the words in his mouth faltered and faded.

Ivory wasn’t having it. “Do you do it for money? I can get you a job at the flower shop if you need it so bad.”

“Nah, i-it ain’t that.”

“Oh.” She put her hand on her hip. “So you like doing it because it makes you cool? You like being some bigshot?”

He shook his head. “It’s not that either.”

“Then what?”

Jermaine shrugged, suddenly feeling very exposed. “I just….I like it. I like fighting.”

“Well. If you want to fight so bad, we can send you back to the dojo-”

_**“No!”** _

Ivory blinked in surprise at the terror in his voice, and Jermaine turned red before putting his hands up in surrender. “I….Ivory, I’m sorry, I just….” He looked away. “I don’t want to go back there.”

“Sounds like you do.”

“Well, maybe I do,” he admitted, shrugging. He looked at a coffee stain on the kitchen tiles. “But I can’t go back there.”

Ivory didn’t answer, but never took her eyes off of him. The clock on the wall ticked, and somewhere outside, they could hear police sirens in the distance, but no other words were spoken. Finally, Jermaine pulled his hoodie back on and turned back to face his older sister. “It’s really late,” he said in a hoarse voice. “I…I’m sorry I lied to you, Ivory, and I’m sorry I made you worry. You can go ahead and tell Mom when she gets home, and I’ll take any punishment you two give me. I won’t complain, I won’t fight, and I…” He paused, closed his eyes and sighed. “And I’ll find something else to do on Thursday nights, okay?” He looked her in the eyes. “This was the last time. _I promise._ Let’s just…” He walked past her back out into the hallway and began to climb up the stairs to the second level. “Let’s just forget about it and call it a night. ”

Peaches crept out from under the table and watched him go, whining softly. Ivory was silent as Jermaine walked up the creaky steps, but right as he made it to the top, she called back up to him, arms crossed again. “Well, before you go to bed, I think I should let you know that your friend called earlier and left you a message.”

Jermaine paused, his hand already on the doorknob of his bedroom. “Which friend?” he called down.

“The little dude in the pajamas. Omi.”

Jermaine went rigid, and immediately came rushing back to the top of the stairs, gripping the railing tightly as he looked at Ivory down below. “Omi called? What did he say?”

Ivory raised an eyebrow, and jerked her head to the answering machine in the kitchen. “Come see for yourself.”

Jermaine jumped over the railing, ignoring Ivory’s exclamation of disapproval as he landed on his feet and jogged over to the answering machine on the counter near the far wall. He looked back at his sister, and when she motioned for him to continue, he reached out and pressed PLAY. Omi’s voice began to play out of the machine, loud and clear in the late night silence.

_“Hello? Hello? Kimiko, I am not sure if this thing is working. That beep it made sounded very suspicious.”_

A familiar giggle came in through the background, and Kimiko herself began to speak.

_“It’s working, Omi. That’s the sound it makes when it’s recording your message.”_

_“So does that mean he will be able to hear what we’re saying right now?”_

_“Probably. Hey, Jermaine!”_

_“Hello, Jermaine!”_

_“Here, let’s end this message, and you can try it again on your own. See ya, Jermaine!”_

_“A most excellent idea. Thank you Kimiko. Oh, and goodbye, Jermai-!”_

_BEEP_

Jermaine couldn’t help but cough out a small laugh as he looked down at the answering machine, pausing the messages. Beside him, Ivory made a small, but similar noise. He snuck a sideways glance at his older sister and saw a faint smile on her lips. 

When their eyes met however, it vanished, and faded away into something solemn, and oddly sad. Before he could comment on it, she sighed deeply and reached past him to continue playing the messages. Omi’s voice began to fill the room once more.

_“Hello, Jermaine! Again! This is Omi! I hope you have been well, my friend, because I have big news to share with you today. Or, tonight? It doesn’t matter. What I have to say will be a lot to take in, so you may want to sit down if you are able.”_

Jermaine sat himself down into a chair, listening intently and never taking his eyes off of the answering machine as he did so. Peaches walked over to him and made herself comfortable at his feet as Omi spoke.

_“Master Fung has told our leader, Raimundo, that it is time for the Xiaolin Dragons to gain a new member for our team. He has given Raimundo the task of finding that new member – the Xiaolin Dragon of Wood. In a few weeks, he will be leaving for all of the Xiaolin Temples of the world in order to search for and select a new apprentice. “_

Jermaine’s eyebrows flew up, and once again, the answering machine went BEEP as Omi’s words bled into another message.

_“There is no guarantee that Raimundo will find the apprentice at any of the Xiaolin Temples. There is a good chance that he will have to go out into the world to search for them. Oftentimes, the greatest of Xiaolin warriors are, or were, ordinary people who lead ordinary lives. But those same people possess the desire to use whatever talents they have to do extraordinary things. They are people from every walk of life who choose to take the path of good, no matter what adversities they have had to endure in the past. They are people who choose to be brave in the face of danger. People who choose to be noble when being dishonorable would be easier. They are people….like you.”_

_BEEP_

Jermaine’s eyes grew wide at the sincerity in the last words of that message. He sat back, stunned, as the words sunk in, and Omi continued.

_“Jermaine, I would like to invite you to come and be tested at the Xiaolin Temple here in China to see if you are the next Xiaolin Dragon of Wood. I am asking you personally because you have a lot of potential. I still remember the last time we were together.”_

Jermaine shifted uncomfortably in his seat, a sinking feeling forming in his gut.

_“Despite the…tension between us, I could not help but be impressed by how much of a challenge you were. You were one of the most difficult adversaries I have ever gone up against.”_

The tone in Omi’s voice shifted from something warm and friendly to something serious. 

_“Let me make myself perfectly clear, Jermaine._

**_This is not just hollow flattery between friends._ **

_I have been raised by the Xiaolin all of my life, ever since I was a baby. I grew up learning kung fu. Practicing it. Perfecting it. Day in, and day out. And I could still not quite compare to you. “_

Jermaine felt the tips of his ears heating up. the sinking feeling in his stomach starting to move around like an angry snake. He could feel Ivory staring at him, and he forced himself not to meet her gaze as the answering machine went _BEEP_ once more.

_“You are kind, you are smart, you are noble, and you are brave. The very first day we met, you were willing to protect me and fight for me, even though we were complete strangers. The last time we saw each other, you were willing to forgive me for embarrassing myself and allowing my jealousy at your prowess to get in the way of our friendship. You are one of the best people I know, and one of the most skilled warriors I know. I could not think of any better candidate for this position._

__

__

_“There is no guarantee that you ARE the next Xiaolin Dragon of Wood. As Dojo says, ‘You either are, or you aren’t.’ But even so, I believe you have what it takes to be a Xiaolin Dragon, and I believe it would be very worthwhile for you to come and be tested by Raimundo and the other Xiaolin Masters.”_

Jermaine sat back up, biting his lip in thought.

_“If you are interested in this, please call me back on Kimiko’s cellphone! Her line is always open, and we are more than happy to help you make arrangements to come to China. Goodbye Jermaine! I look forward to hearing from you soon!”_

_BEEP_

“….Huh. Well. Uh.” Jermaine began to stand up off of the chair, but Ivory spoke.

“There’s more coming.”

Jermaine narrowed his eyes at her. “Did you already li-?”

But he was cut off as Omi began to speak again, and this time, in a softer, less assured voice.

 _“Hello, again, Jermaine. I….”_ Here he paused, and Jermaine could hear him take a deep breath in and out before continuing on. _“I know I’ve already left many messages for you to hear, and I apologize for bothering you any more than I have already, but…I was wondering if you’ve been receiving my letters? Our correspondence has been slow for some time now, and it’s been a few months since I’ve received any of yours. Has everything been okay?”_

Jermaine swallowed. Suddenly, he found himself being unable to face the answering machine, and he looked away, the storm in his guts causing his anxiety to rise. Peaches put her head on his lap, and he absentmindedly scratched at her ears in an effort to calm himself.

 _“Perhaps you haven’t received any of my newest letters after all. Which is understandable!”_ Omi said, his voice brightening up a little. _“New York City is very far away from China. It must be quite easy for letters to get lost on the way there. It would be much more convenient if we had computers to ‘videochat,’ but I do not hold that against you! As Clay would say, ‘it is what it is.’ I will make sure this message reaches you somehow, even if I have to leave for New York City once again! U-Unless you would not want me to, that is.”_ Insecurity creeped into his voice again. _“The last thing I would want is to be a burden to you, somehow.”_

Jermaine sunk down in his chair, unable to get comfortable with his insides writhing and twisting the way they were. In his peripheral vision, Ivory shifted around, and he didn’t have to look at her to know there was pity in her eyes, and not for him.

The answering machine beeped again, and one final message came out.

_“Jermaine….It would be very nice to hear from you again. I miss you. Very much. Farewell, my friend. I hope to speak to you soon.”_

_BEEP_

The creaks and groans of the old building, the clock ticking on the wall, and the sound of cars driving outside were all that could be heard for a moment. Jermaine sat at the dining room table, perfectly still and perfectly silent for what seemed like hours. Ivory stood in silence as well, watching him and waiting for him to make a move. When he didn’t, she walked over to the table and stood in front of him. Peaches looked from her to Jermaine, not sure what to make of what was happening.

“I gotta hand it to the little dude,” said Ivory in a soft voice. “If there’s one thing he knows, it’s loyalty.”

Jermaine didn’t answer her, his eyes focused on the yellowing linoleum of their kitchen floor. Ivory held a hand to her hip, not giving up. “I thought you liked him. When the two of you first met, he was all you could talk about. He’s why you started learning martial arts. Bro, you went to CHINA for him. That dude was your hero. And now you’re avoiding him?”

Jermaine remained silent. She bent down and tilted his chin up, and finally, he looked up at her, searching her face for disapproval or disdain. There was none. There was only concern and the need to understand.

“You’re not good enough for the Xiaolin dojo anymore,” she said, looking into his eyes. “Are you not good enough for Omi, either?”

Jermaine lowered his eyes to the ground again, unable to bring himself to speak.

“Hey.”

He looked up at his sister again, and she smiled down at him in a way that made him feel a little more okay. “Let’s talk,” she said, nodding toward something on the kitchen counter.

Jermaine’s eyes follow her line of vision, and caught sight of a box of pizza sitting beside the sink.

“I brought your favorite.”

———————

Ten minutes of silence and two slices of pepperoni and extra cheese later, Jermaine came clean. Later, he would not remember exactly how or where he started, only that once he started to speak, he could not bring himself to stop. Everything that had happened since his trip to China came pouring out of his mouth like stormwater through a drainpipe, disjointed and with no real pattern or direction. It was overwhelming to express everything that he had been pointedly ignoring for months all at once, and towards the end, he felt a little lightheaded and hollow after finally confronting all the strong emotions he had been denying for so long.

Ivory took it all in stride, eating her pizza quietly as she absorbed his words. If she was as overwhelmed by his confession as he was, she didn’t show it. She simply sat back and listened with a patient, calm expression on her face. That was his favorite thing about her, the way she sat back and let him talk when he needed to talk to someone the most. Even if he had trouble speaking out in the first place.

Finally, somehow, he stopped, and after he was able to collect himself again, she spoke. “You’re still thinking about what went down between you and Omi?” Ivory sat back, furrowing her brow in concern. “It’s been a long time since then.”

“I know,” he sighed, leaning on the table and holding his head in his hands, “But I can’t stop thinking about it.” He pounded the table in frustration. “I love kung-fu. I love learning it, I love practicing it, I love working to become a better fighter than I was yesterday, and I love my friend who got me into it. He’s the baddest dude I’ve ever met and he changed my life and gave me something I never knew I was missing. But every time I try to get back into fighting, every time I tell myself ‘I’m going to make this mine again, I’m going to spar with Omi again someday,’ I start thinking about what I did, and who I used to call ‘Master.’ And I…” He looked up, his eyes unfocused, before he sank down onto the table in shame, his voice small. “I could have seriously hurt Omi in that Showdown against him."

His sister reached across the table to touch his arm. “Jermaine, you wanted to BEAT Omi. You never meant to _hurt_ Omi, and you didn’t know Chase was evil before you started taking lessons from him.”

“But it was so obvious!” he said, sitting up. “The giant cats, the fancy lair, all the talk about glory and greatness! I look back on it now, and it was like, the only thing missing was a neon sign that said “Yo, I’m evil!”,” he said, throwing his hands up in the air and leaning back in his seat. “Omi wouldn’t have fallen for any of it. You wouldn’t have, either. You’re both too smart.” He closed his eyes. “But I fell for it. And it almost cost me my best friend, maybe even my soul.”

A small soft tongue licking at his leg brought Jermaine back to reality, and he reached out a hand to ruffle Peaches’ fluffy, gingery fur, peeling some pepperoni off of his pizza and giving it to her as a treat. 

Ivory was quiet for a moment, sadness in her eyes. “You’ve been carrying this around for a long time, haven’t you?”

Jermaine sighed and looked down at his lap. “….I want to let go. I want to move on and see my friend again. I miss him. I want to play basketball with him again, and fight bad guys together, and just… _hang_ with him.” He closed his eyes again. “But I can’t. I don’t deserve to.”

“Don’t say that. You’re such a good kid, Jermaine. Even if you do break curfew by THREE HOURS and FIGHT WITH RANDOM STRANGERS WHO ARE ALL OLDER AND BIGGER THAN YOU-“

“Okay, _okay,_ I’m sorry!” said Jermaine, cringing in preparation for another one of her rages.

“No….I’m sorry, Jermaine.”

Jermaine relaxed, and noticed that Ivory was no longer looking at him, but at her own lap. She shook her head dejectedly. “You may do some dumb, DUMB stuff, Jermaine, but I’d die for you any day of the week. I love you bro, and I wish you didn’t have to go through any of this.” Anger crept back into her features. “Ugh. Chase Young. If I EVER see that manipulative creep show his face around you ever again, I’ll whoop his butt so hard, he’ll never step foot in this city for the rest of his life!”

“I would…love to see that actually,” said Jermaine, laughing nervously at the pure hatred flashing like lightning in his sister’s eyes. He cleared his throat. “Seriously though, he’s really dangerous. Thousands of years old, one of the best warriors on the planet, and he has an army of jungle cats. If he does come around here again-”

 _“I’ll handle it,”_ she said firmly, taking his hand in hers. “I won’t let him hurt you again. I promise.” 

What she said, he knew to be an impossible thing to promise. But her words still made him smile anyways. “Thanks, Ives.”

Ivory leaned back in her seat and took another bite out of her pizza before speaking. “So. The Xiaolin Dragon of Wood. You gonna take Omi up on that offer and see if you fit the bill?”

Jermaine stumbled over his words for a moment. “I…I mean….it’d be nice to see him again, but…I don’t know, Ives. I…” He let out a breath. “Okay, I’ve been going to the ring for months now – I know, I know – “ he said, holding his hands up in surrender at another one of his sister’s death glares, “But, to be honest, I’m still kind of rusty. I haven’t actually practiced kung-fu in, like, forever.”

“You made it to Wudai Warrior, though, didn’t you? You GOT skills. You just need to polish them up a little bit. Omi could help you do that, couldn’t he? Besides, it’s not about seeing how good you are. It’s about seeing if you’re…you know.” She shrugged and made quotation marks with her hands. “‘The Chosen One.’”

Jermaine fell silent. Suddenly, Ivory got up and went to the nearby shelf. She opened a small, innocuous cookie jar and started counting out some of the bills from the wad of cash hidden there.

“You know what?,” she said as she held some of the larger bills up to the light, “If you’re going to China, you’re gonna need a few other sets of clothes. Maybe some new shoes, too.” She turned to glance down at his worn out sneakers, grey and battered from days walking around the city and on the basketball court. “You’ve had those for a couple of years. It’s about time you got yourself another pair.”

“Ivory, no!” said Jermaine, shooting up out of his chair. “That’s your money! You’re saving up for college!”

“I know it’s my money, Jermaine, I _bust my butt_ making it on a daily basis. And I can do whatever I want with it. So I’ll just use some of it for you.”

“But-!”

“But nothing!” said Ivory, turning around. “I’m a grown woman, I can do what I want. And I’m GOING to college. If I keep on keeping on, I’ll get there eventually.” She pointed at him, flapping the bills around in her other hand. “Right now, you need this in your life.”

Jermaine shook his head. “But-”

_“Pops would have wanted this.”_

The two stood there awkwardly in silence for a moment. Jermaine straightened up a little and Peaches tilted her head as Ivory twirled a lock of hair around her finger nervously and cleared her throat.

“After…uh…after you were born, he was always telling me that no matter what happened, no matter how bad things got, or how annoying you grew up to be, that I should always be there for you. That I should always be a good big sister, and look out for you, especially when you needed me most.” She closed her eyes to hold back some tears from the memories before opening them again and walking up to Jermaine, holding him lightly by the shoulders. “Well, bro, you need me now. You need THIS now.”

Jermaine felt his throat begin to swell up with emotion, biting his lip as he tried to get the words out. “You don’t have to do this. You’re already the best big sister in the world, in the whole universe. Its… _Ivory-“_

“Jermaine. _Go._ Mom and I will hold down the fort while you’re gone.”

Jermaine swallowed, and he threw his arms around his sister, holding her tight. She hugged him back, patting his shoulder softly. 

“What if I’m not what they’re looking for?” he mumbled into her shoulder.

“Then you’ll still have a chance to go back to kung-fu and you’ll have a chance to talk to Omi about what went down. Patch things up with him, and all that.” She pulled away and looked him dead in the eye. “You want to fight again?”

He nodded, a flare of determination igniting in his eyes.

“Then you got to face this problem head on and _talk. To. Your. Friend._ ” She held him by the shoulder, poking him in the chest as she emphasized each word. “You can fix this problem together. He’ll help you. I know he will. He’s got a good head on his shoulders. A big head sometimes, sounds like, but a good one.”

Jermaine nodded slowly. The thought of seeing Omi again face-to-face still made his stomach churn with dread, but deep down, he knew she was right. “….Okay,” he said finally, pulling away from her and smiling. “I’ll try.”

“Do or do not, there is no try.”

He laughed, and then his face grew serious again. “Wait. I can’t just _run off_ to China. What about school?”

Ivory shrugged. “Your school year’s almost up anyways. If we talk to your teachers now, maybe we can work something out so you can leave without missing anything.” She smirked wickedly. “How do you feel about taking all your finals three weeks early?”

“Now _that’s_ wack.”

She broke out into laugher, and soon, he did too, and for a moment the two of them stood in the kitchen laughing their heads off, the tension of everything that happened that evening melting away into something sweet and simple.

It was broken by the sounds of Peaches’ excited barking and the front door opening.

“Jermaine? Ivory?”

The two siblings turned to see a short-haired woman in hospital scrubs walking into the house with her purse over her shoulder, Peaches yipping at her feet excitedly as she tried to get her attention. She looked at them, blinking in the bright light of the kitchen as she set her bag down on the counter. “Are y’all still awake?” She put her hands on her hips exactly the way Ivory did and narrowed her eyes. “It’s almost midnight, what are y’all doing still up? It is a SCHOOL night and YOU, young lady, have to get up early for work tomorrow!”

Jermaine and Ivory looked back at her, still grinning from before. Their mother shook her head, the corners of her mouth twitching despite herself. “Why y’all smiling like that?” she asked.

Jermaine cleared his throat. 

“Mom….can I ask you something?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I listen to music when i write! So i thought maybe i'd start posting music to some of my inspo songs for the chapters i write, in case you wanted to play them as you read along.
> 
> when i write Jermaine i listen to a lot of lo-fi hip hop. it's chill and laid-back with origins in New York, like him. so it fits.
> 
> the first third of this chapter was inspired by this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQBgFqeAOL8
> 
> the second third was inspired by this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOy1esPEc08
> 
> and the last third was inspired by this one. (tbh, i consider this song Ivory's theme): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YH4dSwoZ-D0


	5. Something Wicked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i told myself that i would post chapters 5 and 6 together to avoid the cliffhanger ending (spoiler but not really), but it just didn't happen. chapter 6 will be up sometime in the next month, with any luck, and that's where the journey really begins. especially for you Jack fans, because that's when he comes back (i know, i know i suck).
> 
> until then, enjoy this. and as always, thank you for reading.
> 
> p.s. i usually listen to music when i write these fics, so i think i'll start posting links to some of the songs i listen at the top and maybe at the bottom too, in case you want to listen to them as you re-read. 
> 
> up until a certain point (i think you'll know where), this chapter was very inspired by this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeI6an1Fy6E
> 
>  

_Breathe in. Breath out._

A wistful sigh broke the silence.

Pulled out of his meditation, Master Fung opened one eye and looked down at the young Dragon before him. 

It was a bright, cloudless day at the Xiaolin Temple, and under the midmorning sunshine, beneath the branches of a peach tree in full bloom, Master Fung and Omi faced each other in meditation, a ritual that they had shared together ever since Omi was very small.

Master Fung watched as the boy he raised sat perfectly still in a half-lotus position, his chest rising slowly in a measured, conscious breath…..before it sank as he let out another heavy, pained sigh. 

Master Fung sat back, his brows knitted together in worry. “Is something troubling you, young monk?”

“Oh!” Omi’s eyes snapped open, and he blinked at Fung a few times in surprise before bowing his head. “I am sorry, Master Fung. I did not mean to distract you.”

“You’ve done nothing wrong, Omi,” said Master Fung as he waved away his apology. “But you certainly are not acting like yourself. You’re usually so centered when we meditate together.”

Omi lowered his eyes and looked away. “I….I just have a lot on my mind,” he said finally.

“Is it about what happened between you and Jack Spicer during your last Showdown?” 

Omi looked up at him in surprise. “How did you know about that?” he asked, astonished.

“I read Kimiko’s status update,” replied the older man, pulling out a sleek red cellphone from inside his robes.

“Oh,” said Omi.

Master Fung reached out and gently tipped the boy’s chin up to meet his eyes again. “It is disheartening to hear that your good deed was met with such hostility,” he said, “but you should not feel guilt for someone else’s poor choices, young monk.” He smiled reassuringly. “Nor should you regret your own good decisions.”

Omi smiled back for a moment before his face fell and he shook his head. “It is not that which worries me, Master. It is –“ He paused, swallowed, and sat back. “It is nothing, I suppose.“

Before Master Fung could speak, a loud _GOOOONG_ sound rang through the air. The two turned to look at Master Fung’s cellphone on the ground beside him, vibrating softy and letting out another _GOOOONG._

“Excuse me for a moment, Omi,” said Master Fung as he reached out and pressed a button on the screen. “Hello?” he asked as he stood up and lifted the phone to his ear. “Yes? Ah, Kimiko. How is everything?...Hmm.” He straightened his back as Omi watched him curiously from the ground, not-so-subtlely straining forward to hear the conversation. Master Fung turned to look down at him, a small smile on the corners of his mouth as Omi snapped back into an innocent pose, cheeks red at being caught in the act. “Yes. I see. Understood. Thank you, Kimiko. Goodbye.”

Master Fung’s smile had split into a rare grin as he pocketed his cellphone and reached a hand out to his student. “Omi, why don’t we go for a walk? Perhaps it will clear your head.”

“But we usually meditate for another half-hour,” said Omi as he let himself be pulled up to his feet.

“Yes, but I believe that I have just the cure for your troubled mind, young monk. Come.”

Master Fung turned to leave, and Omi followed obediently.

The two were quiet as they made their way down the hill from where the peach tree stood guard. They made their way to the Temple through tall grasses and wildflowers for a good long while before Omi broke the silence.

“Has Raimundo finished preparing for his journey to the other Temples?” he asked.

“He has,” said Master Fung, nodding. “Tomorrow morning, Master Monk Guan will arrive to take him on his pilgrimage throughout the Xiaolin Temples of the world. Perhaps the Dragon of Wood is residing in one of them.”

“I wonder when he will be back?”

“In due time, young monk. In due time. Finding the Dragon of Wood will be an arduous task. But hopefully, within the year, you will have your new team member.”

Omi let his words sink in, and for a while, there was nothing but the sounds of nature around them. But as they entered the Temple, Omi spoke again. “Master Fung?”

“Yes, Omi?”

“What….” Omi took a deep breath in and out, bracing himself before he finished his sentence. “What can you tell me about the Xiaolin Dragon of Wood?”

Master Fung sighed, and Omi cringed at the sound as his elder stopped in his tracks and turned to look down at him with a stern expression on his face. “As I’ve said before, young monk, the last Xiaolin Dragon of Wood was well before my time. There is much even I do not know. Life is a teacher with endless lessons, and we are all students. Now please, stop asking me questions I have no answer to.“

Omi bowed low, keeping his eyes down towards the floor in humility. “Yes, Master Fung.”

Master Fung waited until his student was upright again before continuing his way through the Temple. There was no more conversation between the two.

Omi followed his elder in silence, slowly realizing that Master Fung was leading him to the sleeping quarters where he and all the other Dragons resided. He looked up at the older man for an explanation when he caught sight of a familiar head of blonde hair at the end of the hallway, making his way out of an empty room.

“Clay?”

“Oh!” Clay turned around and smiled, wiping sweat off of his foreheard with a towel before putting his hat on again. “Hey, Omi. Hey Master Fung. How was your meditatin’?”

“Quite nice, thank you,” said Master Fung. “How is it coming?”

“See for yourself.”

Clay gestured to the room he had just left, and Master Fung walked in, Omi following closely behind. What was once unused space was now a fully furnished bedroom, with a bed, a small dresser for clothes, shelves on the wall, and a desk with a chair. A vase of freshly picked flowers sat on the table, and on the wall, in neat letters that only Clay could have made, a small round cross-stitching read “Home Sweet Home.”

Omi took it all in, walking around the room in a circle. “Clay, what is all this?”

“Aw, its…. Just a little project I’ve been working on,” answered Clay as he scratched he back of his head bashfully. “For the guest we’re expectin’.”

“You have done well, young monk,” commented Master Fung. 

“When did you have time to do this?” asked Omi, smelling the flowers in the vace.

“Just this mornin’.” Clay shrugged, his cheeks still pink at Master Fung’s compliment. “It’s a bit of a rush job, but I reckon it’ll do.”

Omi raised an eyebrow. “ _What_ will it do?”

Clay let out a short laugh before clapping his hand on Omi’s shoulder (causing the boy to take a few involuntary steps forward) before looking down at him and winking. “Well, let me put it this way – I think the person staying here will find it real cozy.”

Omi looked up at him in confusion. “It is wise of you to prepare a room for the Dragon of Wood, Clay, but Raimundo has not even left the Temple yet.” He tilted his head. “Don’t you think you are counting your chickens before they lay eggs?”

“Well,” said Clay, looking away with a sly grin, “It’s not _for_ the Dragon of Wood.”

Omi stared at him, not understanding, before clapping a hand to his forehead.“Oh. This is Master Guan’s guest room,” he laughed. “Of course. How could I be so silly?”

Clay said nothing, but instead looked at Master Fung knowingly. Master Fung stared back, nodding slightly. Omi’s smile faded as he looked back and forth between the two, but at that moment, a gust of wind blew through the hallway and Raimundo slid to a stop in front of all of them, Dojo clinging to his robes for dear life with a stressed look on his face.

“YO!” Raimundo said cheerfully as he ran a hand through his windblown hair. “Master Fung! Clay! What are you doing? It’s almost noon!”

“And you say I lose track of time,” huffed Dojo as he put his hands on his hips and looked up at Fung disapprovingly. Master Fung rolled his eyes, but wordlessly reached his arm out so Dojo could hop on. 

Clay nudged Omi gently. “Come on little partner, we’d best get a move on.”

“Get a move on what?” asked Omi, looking around and trying to understand what was going on. “What is happening?”

“You will see, young monk,” answered Master Fung placidly.

A sudden realization struck Omi, and his face turned red as he watched them leave. “Are…are the four of you keeping secrets from me?” asked Omi in a offended tone, his voice shrill as it went up an octave. _“Me?! Your most humble friend and student?!”_

“Come with us and find out, kiddo,” called out Dojo playfully as Raimundo and Clay rounded the corner.

Omi puffed out his cheeks in indignation, but followed, jogging until he caught up with the rest of the others. Soon he found himself walking back outside, where the others had stopped at the foot of a bridge built over the running stream that ran through the courtyard. 

They stood there for a moment before Omi, literally vibrating with indignation, sighed loudly. “What are we doing?” he asked again, his impatience getting the better of him.

“Waitin’,” said Clay peacefully, straightening his hat.

“Yes, I can SEE that,” said Omi through gritted teeth. “But what is it are we waiting for?”

Raimundo looked down at his angry expression and smiled so gently, Omi’s anger disappeared in an instant.

“An old friend.”

And just then, almost as if on cue, a sharp ripping sound echoed through the air. A familiar, colorless shimmer split through the air, and a tear through reality formed in front of everyone’s eyes.

\-----

_New York City, 10:59 PM_

Kimiko lowered her arm, the Golden Tiger Claws gleaming under the soft lamplight of the living room. She turned around and smiled at the Forrester family behind her, staring at the portal with wide eyes. “All right. It’s time.”

Nodding, Jade Forrester looked down at her son, holding him gently by the shoulders. “Now remember, Jermaine, you be a good guest. Wash your own dishes, do your own laundry, and always clean up after yourself.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Jermaine, puffing his chest out proudly.

Behind him, Ivory put her hands on her hips, trying to look braver than she felt as she avoided looking at the magical portal five steps away from her. “D-don’t be afraid to take up some of the other chores, either,” she said sharply. “It’s bad enough you slack off here sometimes, running off before taking out the trash or sweeping the floor. Don’t you be pulling that over there in China. You’re representing New York, America AND the Forrester family.”

“Okay, Ivory,” said Jermaine, rolling his eyes with a smile.

“Make sure you eat right,” said his mother.

“But don’t clean out their fridge,” chided his sister.

“Always be polite to everyone you meet.”

“But don’t talk to strangers.”

“Take showers.”

“Get enough sleep.”

“And Jermaine, don’t forget to-“

“ _Guys_ ,” said Jermaine, raising his hands in surrender. “I get it. I’ll be good.” He reached out to take their hands in his, squeezing lightly. “Everything’s gonna be fine,” he said, smiling. “I promise.”

His mother’s eyes welled up with tears, and she wiped them away with her sleeve. “I know, baby,” she said, her voice cracking.

Ivory swallowed, willing herself not to cry. Instead she looked over at the girl waiting patiently by the portal. “Keep my brother in line, Kimiko. Show him who’s boss.”

Kimiko giggled. “Will do, Ives.” Her laughter broke for a moment when she caught sight of Jermaine’s mother warily eyeing the portal behind her, fidgeting nervously. Kimiko walked up to her and bowed respectfully before standing back and giving her a comforting smile. “We’ll take care of your son, Mrs. Forrester. He’s in good hands.”

Jermaine’s mother smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Kimi.”

Jermaine let out a deep breath as he turned to face the portal and stepped forward, his bags in hand. It was just a short magical hop from his living room in New York City to the Xiaolin Temple, but it felt like he was standing at the edge of a tall cliff about to jump over the edge. He wasn’t sure exactly why.

“Well. This is it,” he said, his voice strained.

From behind him, Ivory spoke softly. “Are you ready?” 

Jermaine nodded, his grip tightening on his suitcase. “….Yeah,” he answered quietly. 

He took a step forward, froze, and then ran back, his belongings falling to the ground as he enveloped his mother and sister into one last hug.“I love you, guys,” he murmured softly.

They hugged him back tightly, sinking into his embrace. “I’m gonna miss you so, so much,” said his mother weakly, her tears falling and sinking into his shirt.

“You better come back in one piece,” said Ivory, squeezing the life out of her little brother.

“I will,” said Jermaine as he pulled away. “I love you. Keep each other safe.” With that, he grabbed his bags again and turned to the portal where Kimiko was waiting. “I’ll see y’all later!”

And before he had time to regret it, he rushed headfirst into a swirling vortex of darkness and light.

\----

It was like falling in all directions at once. Or flying without moving an inch from where he was. But it only lasted half a second, and soon he wasn’t in his living room in New York City at night. There was sun, and singing birds, and five very familiar faces looking back at him from the foot of the bridge he was now standing on. 

Jermaine walked forward, looking at Raimundo, Clay, Master Fung, Dojo…and Omi, standing before him with a stunning expression and wide, shining eyes.

All the fear that had been building up in his stomach for the past two weeks melted away the second he made eye contact with his old friend, and Jermaine raised his hand and waved. “Yo, Omi! What’s up?”

Omi’s face split into a wide grin, and he rushed at Jermaine, not realizing that the water from the stream beneath them was beginning to gather at his feet and move with him, rising and growing to the protests and cries of the others behind him. Jermaine, however, did notice, and his grin fell flat when he saw a small tsunami coming towards him at terrifying speed.

 _“JERMAINE!”_ cried Omi, tackling him a second before the water enveloped them both.

A few seconds later Kimiko stepped out of the portal, watching it disappear into thin air as she turned around….and stared at the strange scene waiting for her. Jermaine was sprawled on the bridge, stunned and soaked to the bone as Omi clung to him, laughing with joy and too overwhelmed by happiness to notice what he had done. Behind him, Master Fung, Raimundo, Dojo and Clay were all peeling themselves up off the grass, surrounded by puddles and shivering like drowned rats.

Kimiko walked up to Raimundo, who was on the ground squeezing the water out of his shirt. He looked up at her, his face blank.

“So he liked the surprise?” Kimiko asked, grinning mischieviously.

Raimundo said nothing, and just splashed some water up towards her face.

\-----

Time passed. Midday became afternoon and afternoon became evening as everyone got Jermaine settled into his new room, sat down to eat with him, showed him all the new places at the Temple, all the new things they had learned since the last time they were together. Raimundo made a hurricane, controlling the leaves in the currents to make different shapes in the air. Clay turned the ground beneath them to mud, quicksand, actual sand, then back to solid ground again. Jermaine stood in amazement as he saw Kimiko show off her new skill, applauding her until she turned pink. It had been so long since everyone last saw each other, and they were all eager to talk and catch up.

Omi was the loudest of all. He never stopped talking, never stopped asking or answering questions, his face bright with enthusiasm as he told Jermaine about every single thing that had happened since the moment Jermaine had left long ago.

The sun was starting to sink behind the mountains in the golden summer twilight when the conversation inevitably turned to-

“The Dragon of Wood.” Jermaine sat back on the cool grass, looking up at the sky in contemplation. “So, what? They’d have power over…trees?”

“According to Dojo, the Dragon of Wood will have power over anything that grows out of the earth,” answered Kimiko, braiding her hair into a new experimental style. “And…that’s all he said. Well, that, and that they’ll be somewhere around our age. Early twenties, at the oldest, but most likely a teenager, just like us.”

“Wow,” said Jermaine, before looking over at Raimundo leaning against a nearby tree. “And YOU’RE heading out tomorrow to track them down.”

Raimundo nodded. “That’s the plan. Master Monk Guan and I are heading over to visit all the Xiaolin Temples in Asia, then Europe, and from there we’ll just make our way through the other continents of the world. One big round trip around the planet.”

“You nervous?” asked Jermaine.

“What?” Raimundo laughed, waving away his words. “No! Of course not. Why would I be?”

Jermaine stared at him, unconvinced. “So…you’re nervous.”

“Of course I’m nervous, _are you kidding me?”_ Raimundo ran a hand over his face, his pupils shrinking in fear and his strained smile frozen on his face “ _Ay,_ I’ve been waking up in a cold sweat at 4 in the morning for days now.”

“Don’t leave out the fact that you’ve woken up screaming bloody murder every single time.” Clay turned over on his side and looked up at Raimundo from his spot on the grass. “Almost gave me a heart attack the first time it happened. I haven’t heard hollerin’ like that since Mama found a coyote in our chicken coup.”

“Bruh, you’ve woken up _screaming?”_ asked Jermaine incredulously. 

Raimundo turned pink. “W-well,” he began, but Omi cut him off.

“Oh, yes!” he said, throwing an arm over Raimundo. “As of late, Raimundo has been having nightmares about what will happen during his quest. Nightmares about oversleeping and missing his journey with Guan, nightmares about picking the wrong person as the Dragon of Wood,” he said, counting off his fingers. “He’s often spoken about a recurring dream where he finds the Dragon of Wood and introduces himself to them, only to realize he’s wearing nothing at all. Not even his underwear! Most unsettling-”

“DUDE!” said Raimundo, smacking the back of Omi’s head and causing the younger boy to cry out. _“I told you that in confidence!”_

Omi stared at him, rubbing the spot on his head where he was hit. “It is….good that you feel confident, Raimundo, but I do not understand what that has to do with our conversation.”

Clay covered his face with his hat and groaned. Jermaine and Kimiko began to snicker as Raimundo glared down at Omi with a red face. “Omi, you’re lucky I’m a pacifist,” he grumbled.

“Um, excuse me?” said Kimiko. “You’re only a ‘pacifist’ if I’m not around.”

“Omi, you’re lucky I’m a pacifist when Kimiko’s around.”

“Partner, _relax.”_ Clay stood up and stretched, reaching high towards the evening sky. “You got some big shoes to fill, but stressing yourself out ‘till you fall over dead ain’t gonna solve a gotdang thing.”

“Clay’s right, Raimundo,” agreed Jermaine, standing up and walking over to where he was standing. “You keep sweatin’ over this, you’re just gonna drive yourself crazy. If you keep worrying about something, over and over….for a long time…..” His voice began to trail off and his eyes grew unfocused as he lost himself in thought. “Then…you’re never gonna get anywhere,” he continued quietly.“You’re just gonna stay frozen in the same spot….too scared to move.”

At that moment, Jermaine remembered where he was and looked around, suddenly very aware of the fact that all eyes were on him. Everyone was silent as they stared at him with peculiar expressions on their faces, and Jermaine felt his face heating up as he forced a smile.

“S-So you know, just take a deep breath and keep on keeping on, son!” he finished, punching Raimundo in the shoulder goodnaturedly. “I mean…it’s either that or give up before you’ve tried, right?” He grinned, hoping he didn’t look as crazy as he was beginning to feel.

To his amazement, everyone’s expressions melted into relief, or understanding, and Raimundo coughed out a short laugh. “Hah. You’re one cool dude, Jermaine. I can’t believe you’re _Omi’s_ friend.”

“HEY!” cried Omi, deeply offended. 

Raimundo innocently looked away, patting his head before getting serious. “But anyways, let’s talk business. I leave tomorrow to see if I can find the Dragon of Wood somewhere out there in the Xiaolin Temples. When I get back, if I haven’t found them, then I’ll be testing you.”

“And if I’m not the Dragon of Wood?” asked Jermaine, raising an eyebrow.

“No big deal. If that happens, then Master Fung and I will go out into the world and keep looking.” Raimundo began to count off his fingers. “Xiaolin Temples, then the people we know, then the world. It’s a simple process of elimination! With….a planet of seven billion people.”

Jermaine smiled. “No pressure, though.”

“Everything’s fine,” said Raimundo through a false smile, in a voice that clearly showed he was anything but. “This is fine. I’m fine. _Everything’s gonna be fine.”_

Behind him, Clay held him by the shoulders. “ _Breathe,_ partner. In. Out. There you go, now do it again.”

“But it’s really just me that y’all are gonna be testing? Ain’t there other people you know who might fit the bill?” asked Jermaine as Clay coached Raimundo through a few more breaths. 

Clay looked up in thought for a moment before answering. “Well, we’ve all tried to reach out to the people we know who might be the Dragon of Wood. I tried calling up my sister Jessie the other day to ask if anything had changed, or if she noticed something new. Couldn’t reach her though. I tried talking to my brother Patrick, but uh….” He trailed off, his eyes darkening before he pulled his hat low to hide them. “Anyway, my family’s out.”

Raimundo took another breath in and out before he commented. “I asked all my brothers, sisters, cousins, and they all asked everyone they knew. So far, no leads.”

Jermaine turned to Kimiko, who shook her head. “Keiko’s not the fighting type, and said she hasn’t noticed any extra plant powers. She just got started with entrance exams, too, so we won’t be able to chat for a while. I miss her, but I can’t ask her to come out here with that much going on. My sister Tomoko’s pretty tied up – she’s filming her next Tigress Wu movie out in Hong Kong – but she said she’s willing to drop by if she starts randomly controlling flowers, or something. But she’s almost twenty-five, so the odds of her being the Dragon of Wood are pretty low.”

“Looks like you’re our only candidate now,” said Raimundo. “And you’ve got all summer to train with Omi and see if you’ve got any, uh….’hidden talents' you don’t know about. “

“You’re giving me that much time?”

“Yeah, well, we heard from your sister that it’s been a while since you’ve practiced kung-fu, so we thought it might be better for you to get back into the Xiaolin groove before we test you. See if that helps you tap into your powers, if you have any.”

 _“She told you about that?!”_ cried Jermaine, a sharp sinking feeling in his stomach.

Raimundo gave him a weird look but nodded. “Yeah, she said that you’ve been too caught up in honors classes and the basketball team to go to the dojo this past semester.” He nudged Jermaine in the ribs, trying to lighten the mood. “High school’s really kicking your butt, huh?”

“Uh, yeah, you know it!” said Jermaine, silently thanking his sister for lying on his behalf. He had only been in one honors class, and he hadn’t tried out for the basketball team since seventh grade.

“So it’s been a while since you’ve practiced kung-fu?” asked Kimiko curiously.

“Yeah,” lied Jermaine, his ears heating up. 

“But…you still like kung-fu, right?”

Jermaine’s face grew serious, and he nodded with solid confidence. “Absolutely, kid. I love kung-fu more than anything else.” He shrugged. “It’s who I am.”

Three Dragons nodded. The Fourth, Omi, just stood there, watching Jermaine intently for a few seconds before his eyes widened in realization and he smacked his forehead. “Oh! OF COURSE! That’s why!” he cried.

“What’s the matter, lil’ partner?” asked Clay as he raised an eyebrow at Omi. “You okay?”

Omi ignored him, lost in thought. “HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID! Jermaine!” he whirled around to face the taller boy, latching onto his arm with surprising strength. “There’s something you need to see!”

Jermaine looked around in confusion, the intense expression on Omi’s face scaring him a little. “What? NOW?”

“YES! RIGHT NOW!” cried Omi as he began to drag Jermaine away. “COME! THIS WAY!”

“Uh, okay! I guess this is happening!” said Jermaine, stumbling as he tried to keep up with the shorter boy. He looked back at the other three teenagers under the tree, watching him leave with bewildered expressions as he waved goodbye to them. “See y’all later!”

“Uh, any of y’all know what that was about?” asked Clay, turning to the other two Dragons.

“Who knows?” said Kimiko, shrugging. “But Omi’s really happy to have Jermaine around again. Like, REALLY happy.” She giggled as she watched the two become tiny dots in the distance. “They are so cute together. I love it. Omi really needed to see his friend again.”

Clay laughed, but stopped when he caught the anxious look on Raimundo’s face. The Dragon of Wind was looking off into the distance, worry in his eyes as the sun sank lower and lower in the sky. 

Clay and Kimiko exchanged a look before Clay tapped Raimundo on the shoulder. “Hey, Rai?”

“Yeah?” said Raimundo, turning around to face them again. 

“Jermaine left his basketball here. I don’t think he’d mind us using it.” She held it in her hands, throwing it up and spinning it on her finger. “You wanna shoot some hoops before tomorrow?” she asked.

“Two on one,” said Clay. “What do you say?”

Raimundo laughed, the weight on his chest disappearing.

“I say ‘bring it on.”

\----

Jermaine struggled to keep up with Omi, trying to catch his breath, but finding it impossible to as he tried to match the younger boy’s speed. Omi had long since let go of his arm, but Jermaine was starting to wish he hadn’t as Omi raced up the hill with the swiftness of a rabbit. No matter how much Jermaine tried, Omi was always ten steps away.

“Whoa! Slow down, Omi!” he panted. “Where are you taking me?”

“To one of the most sacred places in the Xiaolin Temple,” said Omi, slowing down so Jermaine could catch up. Once Jermaine had, he continued to run, albeit at a more reasonable pace. “What you said back there made me realize that this is something you need to see.”

“Why?” asked Jermaine.

“You will find out when we get there!” said Omi, smiling mischieviously.

Despite himself, Jermaine smiled back. “If you say so, kid!”

The two boys made their way up the hill and to the banks of a large river at the bottom of a large cliff. The water flowed through the opening of a dark cavern, stalactites and stalagmites rising up out of the water and down from the ceiling like a hungry monster’s teeth. There was a boat on the riverbank, but Omi conjured up an ice floe in the water, hopped on, and reached out for Jermaine’s hand. Jermaine hesitated, but only for a second, before he got on, and soon the two were floating into the great maw of the unknown.

Jermaine willed himself to not be creeped out by the pitch darkness they were floating in, but the musty smell of subterranean air and the sound of water dripping down from a high ceiling he could not even see did nothing to help his anxiety. Omi was unaffected, humming cheerfully as he controlled the currents to their destination like it was second nature.

“So, uh, we almost there?” asked Jermaine, cringing at the way his voice reverberated off the walls. 

“Yes, it should not be much longer!” answered Omi. “In fact…yes….it’s just around this corner!”

“What corner?” asked Jermaine, blinking in the darkness, but already he could see a faint light just ahead. Omi slowly became more visible, as did the water below, and their makeshift boat. Shapes began to form in his vision, the rock formations and jagged walls slowly fading into intricate stone carvings that must have been thousands of years old. His eyes adjusted to the growing sunlight (was it sunlight?) as he looked around at the images on the moss-encrusted walls. There was a sound of rushing water – a waterfall? – that grew louder and louder. And then, the ice floe rounded a corner, and Jermaine felt his jaw drop.

_“Whoa.”_

The light from above was indeed sunlight, the golden summer twilight that peeked through holes in the rock walls and illuminated the grotto below. Several small waterfalls poured out of the walls and down from the ceiling, spraying them with a light mist as their ice floe boat sailed past carved stalagmites. Delicate pink lotus blossoms floated in the clear blue waters, and brightly colored koi scurried away from their boat, their scales shining like fragments of stained glass. 

What struck Jermaine most, however, was the great stone statue that rose up out of the water in the center of the cave. It was a man, young, handsome and bald, with an oval face and simple robes, standing tall with his hands held out in eternal welcome, looking down at the world with a peaceful smile.

Jermaine looked around, trying to form sentences as Omi eagerly watched him in satisfied glee. Finally, he found it in himself to speak.“T-this is incredible!” he exclaimed, his voice bouncing off the walls and scaring some nearby koi. “Look at this place! It’s _amazing!_ Omi, dawg, where are we?”

“The Pool of Contemplation,” answered Omi, clasping his hands behind his back. “When a Xiaolin warrior has a great mission that lies ahead, or when they have a problem they cannot solve, they come here to clear their head and meditate on the paths they could choose from and what must be done. Master Fung brought Raimundo here to contemplate on his mission to find the Dragon of Wood. And when I was little, he brought me here right after I learned that I was the Xiaolin Dragon of Water.” Omi conjured up a pillar of ice, which he sat down on, looking up at the scenery with nostalgia. “It is my favorite place in the Xiaolin Temple.”

“It’s beautiful,” whispered Jermaine, crouching down to try to entice the koi closer. A moment passed before he looked up at the statue overhead. “He must have been pretty important to get a statue like that in a place like this.”

“He was,” said Omi reverently. “He was the greatest Xiaolin Warrior to have ever lived, the very first Dragon of Water, the one who defeated Wuya 1500 years ago with the Shen Gong Wu he created. His name was Grand Master Dashi.”

“Ohhh, yeah!” said Jermaine, snapping his fingers in recognition. “I heard about him when I joined the Xiaolin dojo back home.” Craning his neck upward, his eyes moving over the stone face above. “So this is Dashi,” he murmured.

 _“Grand Master_ Dashi.”

Jermaine forced himself not to giggle. “Sorry. _Grand Master_ Dashi.” He turned back to Omi. “Did he really do all of that? Make all the Wu and save the world?”

“Yes! All of that and so much more!” Omi nodded enthusiastically. “When he was alive, he did everything he could to care for China and its people. He was one of our nation’s greatest heroes, and the greatest hero to the Xiaolin. I have always wanted to be just like him, ever since I was small.”

“Really?” asked Jermaine, tilting his head in curiosity. 

Omi sighed, his eyes beginning to unfocus. “I was three years old when Master Fung discovered that I was the next Xiaolin Dragon of Water. I was four when the elders told me who I was. I began my training soon after. Every day, I would work with Master Fung, Dojo and the other Masters of the temple to hone my skills and learn the ways of the Xiaolin. I worked hard, from the moment the sun rose to when it went down.”

Jermaine blinked, his eyebrows knitting together. “That sounds…rough,” he said, trying to imagine a small child being put through that kind of schedule.

“At times, it was,” admitted Omi. “B-but do not misunderstand!” he added, waving his hands. “They did not do this to be cruel. They did this for my own safety. My powers awoke much earlier than what is normal for any Xiaolin Dragon. Had I not been trained to control them, I could have hurt myself. Worse yet, I could have hurt others.” He sat back on his small perch, thinking. “It was hard, sometimes. Master Fung would often chastise the other elders into allowing me more hours in the day to play. To ‘enjoy my childhood.’ Still, the days were...long,” he finished, a solemn look in his eyes.

“But sometimes,” he continued, looking back up at the statue, “Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, Dojo would wake me up, bring me here, and tell me stories about Grand Master Dashi.” His eyes lit up at the memories. “He told me everything he could, about his life, his childhood, his days as an apprentice, when he defeated Wuya, when he fought alongside Master Monk Guan and Chase Young-”

“Hold up,” said Jermaine, breaking Omi out of his trance. “Chase Young?” He leaned forward, trying to understand what he just heard. “ _The_ Chase Young?”

“Chase Young was once the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire,” explained Omi. “He, Grand Master Dashi and Master Monk Guan were the best of friends, long ago.”

Jermaine was silent for a moment, the words sinking in. “….I didn’t know that,” he murmured, sitting back.

“Neither did I,” said Omi. “Until Dojo told me. Dojo told me many things. I enjoyed listening to him.” He giggled, and turned pink. “It was exciting, for me, to sneak away from my bed, come to such a beautiful place, and hear about the greatest hero in Xiaolin history. But for the longest time, I could never understand why Dojo would bring me here.” Omi moved his hand back and forth, lazily controlling the currents below him as he thought. “At first, I thought it was because Dojo needed someone to talk to, someone who wasn’t as strict as the elders. Then, I thought it was because he was showing off to me about how he once fought beside the greatest Xiaolin warrior to ever live. But then I realized,” he said, his eyes shining with emotion,”That the reason Dojo brought me here was because he wanted me to understand that Grand Master Dashi….was like me.”

Omi stood up and turned to face the statue, never taking his eyes off of it as he continued. “He was once the Xiaolin Dragon of Water. The very first, in fact. The same exercises and drills that the elders put me through each day were the same methods Grand Master Dashi used to teach himself how to control his abilities. Everything I went through, he went through. Everything I could do, he once did. He was a hero who died 1500 years ago and saved China countless times over. I was an orphan left on the Temple’s doorstep one rainy night in the spring. But, in a way, we were one and the same. And when I realized that…..I didn’t feel so alone.”

Jermaine stood up, his eyes moving over his friend in worry. “….Omi….” he murmured, walking closer.

Omi seemed to remember where he was, because he turned back to face Jermaine, small tears at the corners of his eyes. “I…” he stammered, as he hastily wiped them away and smiled.” I didn’t come here to speak of that. You asked me why I brought you here. It was because of what you said when Kimiko asked you if you liked kung-fu. Dojo told me many stories from the nights we spent together here, but there was one I liked the most. I would like to tell it to you now.”

Jermaine’s eyebrows flew up. “All right,” he said, sitting back down on the ice floe. “Lay it on me, Omi.”

Omi smiled, and began.

\-----

_Once upon a time, long ago, a dragon lived atop the highest mountains in all of China. He spent his days alone among the clouds, peering down at the world below and jealously guarding his territory from any living thing that dared to step foot on his land. Every village for miles around knew of him, and all stayed clear of his mountain home, fearing for their lives if they didn’t. The dragon was fierce, and powerful, and terrifying. But most of all? He was lonely._

_One day, on a foggy morning during the rainy season, a traveller came wandering through the mist. He was young, alone, with only the things on his back for company, crossing a long bridge over a deep chasm that cut through the dragon’s mountains. The dragon saw him almost immediately, and flew down to greet him in all of his frightening, fiery glory. Despite his loneliness, he wasn’t at all happy to see a human stepping foot through his mountains, and told him to turn back before he killed him on the spot. The human refused, looked him dead in the eye, and said that he “had absolutely no intention of taking any orders from an over-sized gecko with an attitude problem.”_

_Needless to say, the two began to fight._

_So they fought. And fought. But to the dragon’s immense surprise, neither one could defeat the other. It should have been an easy victory. The dragon was bigger, stronger, with breath that could melt the coldest ice, and most peculiar of all, a body that could take on many forms, both great and small._

_But the human was not so easily defeated, for he had powers of his own._

_He could make the fog and the clouds around him move like shields that could hide him, or turn them to ice that could cut through the dragon’s scales like knives. The raindrops that fell from the sky turned to whips, hands, waves, any shape you could think of. It was a misty, rainy day, and the human wielded the water around him like a weapon with a strange magic. The dragon had never seen anything like it._

_The two fought for hours, until the sun went down and the stars came out. Finally, neither one could go on. Tired and worn out, they both lay there on the bridge, too exhausted to do anything but glare at each other and look at the stars above._

_“Well, it looks like neither of us is going to win today,” said the dragon finally, too proud to say he was giving up._

_“Looks like it,” said the human, also too proud to admit his own defeat._

_“I’ve never seen a human who could control water before,” said the dragon._

_“I’ve never seen a dragon who could shape-shift,” replied the human. “The fire thing is pretty standard. But shape-shifting? That’s a new one.”_

_“I’m full of surprises,” said the dragon, puffing up in pride._

_“Well,” replied the human as he rolled his eyes, “then I guess we have something in common.”_

_For a while the two were silent. But then the dragon began to speak again. “Why were you passing through my mountain?” he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. “Didn’t you know that I lived here? Didn’t anyone tell you to stay away?”_

_“Oh, I knew you were here,” said the human. “And I was warned. Many times. But I had to come. This was the fastest way to get to the Xiaolin Temple in the valley beyond these mountains.”_

_“Why are you going there?”_

_“To learn the ways of Xiaolin kung-fu.”_

_“Kung-fu? You risked your life fighting a dragon for kung-fu?”_

_“I did,” said the human, laughing. “And I would do it again. No regrets. No shame.”_

_“Why?”_

_The human smiled and answered, “Because kung-fu is who I am.”_

_The dragon was quiet for a very long time. Finally he spoke. “My name,” he said, “Is Dojo Kanojo Cho. What’s yours?”_

_“My name,” said the human, “Is Dashi.”_

_“You know,” said the dragon, as he shrunk to a smaller size, “These mountains can get very confusing for someone who’s never been through here before. I could travel with you for a while, so you wouldn’t get lost. Until you get to where you need to go, of course,” he added hastily. “And not a single step further.”_

_“I’d like that,” said Dashi._

_And from that moment on, Dashi the human and Dojo the dragon were always together. Their adventures led them to many places, some near, some far, some great, some small. Their friendship lasted for many years. And when Dashi the human was no more, Dojo the dragon stayed behind to guard the very Temple he had risked his life to travel to, on that rainy, misty morning, many years ago._

\------

Jermaine sat back, slowly returning to reality after losing himself in Omi’s story. There was no other sound save for the water around them as he thought about Dojo, small, sassy, familiar Dojo, a magical creature with magical powers existing 1500 years before he was even born, before New York City was even a concept, before America, before anything he knew or recognized. The thought was hard to grasp, but what stuck with him the most was the question Dojo had asked Dashi, centuries upon centuries ago.

_You risked your life fighting a dragon for kung-fu? Why?_

__

__

_Because kung-fu is who I am._

Omi hopped off of the pillar of ice and back down to Jermaine. “Dojo brought me here because he wanted me to see myself in Grand Master Dashi,” he explained softly. “I brought you here because I see much of Grand Master Dashi in _you.”_

Jermaine said nothing, just looked back up at the statue in thought. He looked back at his friend when Omi began to speak again.

“Jermaine,” there was a time I was…selfish. Perhaps even…. _egotisical,”_ he muttered, bashfully twiddling his thumbs.

Jermaine snorted, raising an eyebrow at Omi. _“Perhaps?”_

“Maybe just a little bit,” said Omi, turning pink. “I always dreamed of being the greatest warrior, greater than any other warrior the Xiaolin had ever known before or would ever know after.” He looked up at the statue standing nearby. “A new Dashi. But, now,” he continued, turning around and throwing his arms up in his enthusiasm, “I‘ve come to realize that I have a different dream. A dream of growing together with other warriors around me and becoming one of many new legends! Of spending our days honing our skills and learning new things and maybe even raising other Xiaolin apprentices, the way Master Fung and the elders raised me.” He closed his eyes. “I want to be one of the greatest Xiaolin warriors of all time. But not alone.”

Jermaine watched as Omi opened his eyes again, sincerity in his gaze. “Jermaine, I want to grow as a warrior with you. Even if you aren’t the Dragon of Wood, you are amazing, and you could do so much and go so far!” He grew sad for a moment. “I know that, when summer ends, you will have to go back to New York City, but so long as you’re here, I want to help make you into the best Xiaolin warrior you can be!” He brightened again, and held Jermaine’s hand, a smile on his face. “And I know you will do the same for me! Come, let us train with the others before Raimundo leaves tomorrow! One last session before he leaves for the summer!”

Jermaine opened his mouth to agree, but suddenly a voice rang throughout his head, and a flash of golden eyes filled his vision. A phantom reached out to him, placed his hands on his shoulder and held out a long wooden staff with a cocky grin.

_Come, my student. Let us train._

_**“No!”**_

A loud thump in front of him made Jermaine realize what he had done. Out of instinct, he had shoved the phantom away – and in doing so, he had shoved poor Omi down onto the ice. Jermaine stood frozen, unable to believe what he had done as Omi pulled himself up and stared at him with hurt eyes.

There was silence all around them. Not even the waterfalls made noise, for the water had frozen in place as if time itself had stopped.

“I…” Jermaine tried to speak, but his throat was tight and his chest was heavy. He rushed to pull his friend up to his feet, stumbling over broken words. “Omi….I’m…..”

“You…are tired?” asked Omi, struggling to understand, a nervous smile on his face.

“I….yeah,” said Jermaine, holding his arm guiltily. “I…I’m sorry. I think I just need to get some sleep.”

“Ah,” said Omi quietly. “I see.”

The water around them began to move once more.

\-----

 

“Argh! I’m such an _idiot!”_

An hour later, Jermaine stood alone on a hill overlooking the temple below. The ride back through the cave had been long, so long, and so awkward. Neither boy had been able to look at the other, and when they finally got to shore, Omi bowed low and wished him a good night before walking off by himself. Jermaine had wandered over here, determined to get some air, and desperate to unleash his feelings on the nearest inanimate object.

Pain resonated through his hands, up his arm, but he didn’t care. He continued to strike at the tree in front of him, splintering the wood with the force of his anger. “Stupid, _stupid, **stupid! Rrargh!”**_ He snarled, gritting his teeth in frustration as the poor tree took the beating. “Come on, Jermaine! Get your act together!”

“Am I interrupting something?”

Jermaine froze, his eyes looking down at the ground beside him. Dojo looked up at him, cautiously scooting closer as his eyes moved to the tree, then Jermaine’s bloodied hands, then Jermaine again. “Is this a New Yorker thing?”

“Uh…yeah!” said Jermaine in a falsely cheerful voice. “Yeah. It’s, uh, NYC tradition to…..punch the nearest tree at the end of the day!” Heh.” He scratched the back of his head bashfully and grinning. “You can take the boy out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the boy, know what I’m sayin’?”

“Uh-huh.” Dojo pulled out a first aid kit from behind his back and motioned for Jermaine to follow him. Soon, Jermaine found himself awkwardly looking away as Dojo wrapped some bandages around his fingers, occasionally murmuring a 'thank you' to the small little dragon. For a while Dojo was silent, but then he spoke, in a casual, calm voice. “So, what’s eating you?”

“N-nothing,” stammered Jermaine. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?” asked Dojo, raising his eyebrow. “Because these injuries say otherwise. Something’s wrong.”

Jermaine’s face began to heat up, and his shoulders sank in defeat. “It’s…stupid,” he muttered, avoiding his eyes.

“Kid,” said Dojo, hopping onto his lap. “I’ve lived through over 1500 years of problems, complications, issues, mishaps, and oopsy-daisies. I’ve gotten over them all, and I’ll outlive even more. But I still remember the feeling of lying awake at night in my bed and worrying over every single one.”

Jermaine looked down at him. Dojo patted his arm comfortingly. “Problems never last,” said the little dragon, “But they can be awfully scary when you’re stuck in the middle of one, and you can’t see the way out.”

With that, Dojo crawled back onto the ground, his body stretching and molding itself every which way, until suddenly, to Jermaine’s bewilderment, there was a large green, yellow and red fainting couch sitting right next to him. 

“Come on, kid,” said the couch, two eyes blinking out of the cushions. “Talk to me. Dr. Dojo is in the house.”

“Uh…Okay?” Jermaine stood up and carefully lay himself down on the couch, trying to ignore the rough feeling of scales on the “cushions” and forcing himself not to be creeped out by the way the “couch” was breathing.“So….” He began, trying to collect his thoughts. “Omi took me to Dashi’s statue today.”

“No kidding!” said Dojo, his voice vibrating from underneath Jermaine. “That’s his favorite place in the Temple, you know. But it’s sacred ground. You must really mean a lot to him if that’s where he took you.”

Jermaine swallowed, his throat growing tight. 

“…That was the wrong thing to say wasn’t it?” asked Dojo after a few seconds of silence. “Did something bad happen there?”

Jermaine sighed. “I kinda…wigged out on Omi,” he admitted.

“Why?”

“He….” Jermaine’s face grew hot. “He asked me to spar with him.”

“And….that upset you?” Dojo asked carefully, trying to understand.

“I…no. Yes? Kind of? But not really.” Jermaine groaned, settling himself deeper into the Dojo-couch. “That’s why I came to China, to train with him. I wanted to say yes. But when the time came, suddenly I…I couldn’t.”

“Why not? Were you afraid of getting hurt?”

“I…” Jermaine blinked up at the stars. “Actually, I was afraid of hurting him.”

Dojo was silent for a long time, his body rising up and down. Jermaine started to find it rather soothing, and closed his eyes and enjoyed the peace. Finally, Dojo spoke. “….Does this have anything to do with Chase Young?”

“How’d you know?!” asked Jermaine, sitting up and looking at Dojo’s eye.

The eye blinked back at him. “You’re not the first person he’s used for his schemes. And you won’t be the last, either. And all of them – the ones who are still alive – well…..” The eye closed. “Guilt’s a funny thing. You can’t see it or touch it, but it sticks with you for a long time after the fact. And carrying it around…it gets hard. For anyone. But especially guys like you.” Dojo sighed, and his eye opened once more.“Jermaine, kiddo, don’t blame yourself for what happened in the past. You weren’t responsible for that whole mess, Chase was. Okay? It’s what he does. He’s EVIL with a Capital ‘E’.”

“But he was one of the good guys, wasn’t he?” asked Jermaine. “The Xiaolin Dragon of Fire?”

“Omi told you about that too, huh?” The eye looked away, regretfully, wistfully.”....Yeah, he was,” said Dojo quietly. “Once upon a time.”

Jermaine brought his knees up to his chest, curling up into himself. “….What if that happens to me?” he asked out loud. “What if I’m just pretending to be a good person? What if all along, I’ve always been a bad person, like him, like-“

“That’s not true,” said Dojo, cutting him off. “Let me tell you something, Jermaine. You aren’t inherently a good person, you choose to be good. You aren’t born bad, you choose to be bad. In the end, we all make the choices that define what and who we are, each and every day. Even Dashi wasn’t just BORN a Xiaolin hero. He made a choice, every day, to be a good person. To do as much good as he could, for himself and for everyone else. That’s what made him a legend.”

Jermaine bit his lip for a moment. “Back there, Omi told me I was like Dashi.” He turned toward Dojo’s eye again. “Is that true?”

“Honestly? Yeah. I see some of him in you. Same fire, same moxie, same cocky attitude when it comes to fighting….” Dojo chuckled. “You’ve got a lot of potential. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be a better warrior than he was someday.”

Jermaine tried to smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “….No…..” he said in a small voice. “I don’t think I’ll even come close. I’m….” he choked on his words before sighing. “Dojo, I’m not good enough to hang with Omi anymore. I thought I was. I thought when I saw him again that everything would be the same, but it’s not. He’s still the greatest person I’ve ever met. But now…” he croaked, looking down at his hands. “I’m garbage. I’m _nothing,_ and I’m _nothing_ like Dashi. Dashi was a HERO. He helped people! He made their lives better. No one ever got hurt because of something he did.”

Dojo didn’t speak, just looked at him, his gaze sad. Jermaine lay down on the couch and turned away from his eye, snuggling down into smooth, green scales. “I’m nothing like Dashi,” he whispered, closing his eyes. “His mistakes didn’t almost get other people killed.”

“….That’s not…exactly true.” 

Jermaine’s eyes flew open, and he raised himself slightly.“…What do you mean?” he asked.

Dojo didn’t answer, but began to shake. And shake. And SHAKE.

Jermaine turned over in confusion, looking at Dojo’s eye. His pupil had shrunk, and his gaze was looking up, down, left, right, bouncing around like a pinball.

”Dojo?” said Jermaine, his stomach beginning to sink “Dawg?”

Dojo didn’t answer, but his body shuddered so hard, Jermaine fell off, and in a second, he had shrunk back to his small dragon form – but he was still shaking, shivering, convulsing, seizing up -

“Dojo?!” cried Jermaine, rushing to his side. “What’s wrong?! Talk to me!”

Dojo didn’t answer, but began to cough, hard, until specks of iridescent purple sprayed all over the grass. The sharp metallic scent of blood reached Jermaine’s nostrils. His head began to spin, and suddenly there was a voice screaming for help. 

It took a moment for Jermaine to realize that it was coming from him. 

Jermaine’s body moved before his mind did, and suddenly he was running past the trees and back to the Temple as fast as he could run, Dojo in his arms. Jermaine ran, cradling the tiny dragon close to his chest, feeling him shiver and shake. He tried to stay calm and take deep breaths, but his heart was jumping out of his chest and pounding in his ears. “Dojo,” he said, in a panicked voice that he barely recognized as his own. “It’s okay, you’re going to be okay! You _have_ to be okay! I’m not gonna let anything happen to you, you hear me?! I won’t let you die!”

Jermaine ran, and ran, not really paying attention to where he was ging but instead just searching for signs of life. His eyes caught sight of three familiar figures in the distance, and he called out to them hoarsely. “R-Rai! _Clay! **KIMIKO!”**_

“Jermaine?” Raimundo’s voice reached his ears before his eyes focused on his face. “What’s going on? What’s….?” 

His voice trailed off as he saw what Jermaine was carrying in his arms. By now, the front Jermaine’s shirt was soaked in dragon blood, and Dojo was shaking harder than ever.

 _”Oh my gosh!”_ cried Kimiko, dropping her PDA and clutching her hands to her mouth. She moved forward, but Clay was faster, taking the dragon from Jermaine’s arms and looking him over as he tried to understand what was going wrong.

“Dojo!” he cried. “What’s wrong, little buddy?! Talk to me!”

Dojo did not answer, but shot up out of his arms and into the air where he hovered and shivered until suddenly, like a firework going off, his scales flew apart, landing on the ground below in thousands of glittering green fragments. 

_**“Dojo!”**_

The little dragon fell back to earth, and Clay caught him before he hit the ground, the other three teenagers crowding around him. Dojo was alive, his little chest fluttering up and down as he caught his breath, but he was no longer a vibrant emerald green. Instead, he was a pure silvery white, like moonlight, with pale blue where his red scales once were and pale green where yellow once was.

_“Holy-!”_ said Clay, but before he could finish his sentence, Dojo began to heave, like he was about to throw up, He crawled out of Clay’s arms and onto the ground, still heaving, shoulders shaking…

And then, out of nowhere, an enormous plume of flames, bright gold, like the sun, burst out of his tiny mouth and up into the night sky. They shimmered above the startled teenagers below, like a baby star, like a mushroom cloud, and a strange, inhuman laughter began to ring out in the evening air, so malicious and alien, it made their hair stand on end. There was something in the dancing flames, a figure, or maybe a face-

And then it was gone, the fire disappearing into nothingness, leaving the sky empty and dark once again.

The four teenagers stood there, looking up and frozen in shock.

“What was that?” said Kimiko finally, her voice shaking with fear.

No one had an answer for her.

Clay looked down and saw that Dojo’s breathing was returning to normal. He crouched down on the ground. “Hey, Dojo, are you okay? Do you need a doctor?”

Dojo didn’t answer him, didn’t even face him as he looked at the spot where the flames had once been. “It’s back,” he whispered to himself. “It’s back.”

“What’s back, little buddy?” asked Clay, reaching out for Dojo. But before he could touch him, Dojo slithered away and crawled up Raimundo’s body, clutching his shirt and looking him dead in the eye.

“Raimundo,” he said, in a voice that was all business and all fear, “We need to leave, and we need to leave now.”

“What?” asked Raimundo, still trying to get a grip on what was happening. “What are you-?”

“Rai, _get your team together!”_ snapped Dojo, his eyes shining as he brought his face close to the teen’s face. _“We have to leave!”_

From behind him, Clay tried to keep his voice steady. “Now, now just calm down-“

 _“There’s no time, Clay!”_ said Dojo as he grew into a larger form, about the size of a moray eel. He began to whizz this way and that, his new body shimmering through the night air like a ghost, ignoring the teenagers chasing after him as he called out. “Master Fung! Master Fung, where are you?!” he said, as he flew around the Temple grounds.

“Jermaine, what happened?!” asked Raimundo, chasing after Dojo as fast as he could go.

“I, I don’t _know!”_ panted Jermaine. “We were just talking and then he just, he just-“ Jermaine closed his eyes, the smell of blood still in his nostrils. “He just started shaking and _bleeding_ and-“

“It’s okay,” said Kimiko beside him, her voice shaky but her eyes resolute. “It’s not your fault. Everything’s gonna be fine, we’re going to handle this.”

“Yeah,” said Clay. “Thanks for bringing him to us. You did good, partner.”

“Thanks,” said Jermaine weakly, and then they rounded the corner of the Temple-

And there was Master Fung, frozen in place, staring at the spot where the flames had hovered the Temple in absolute shock. Beside him, Omi was trying to shake him back to reality. Dojo was there, shrinking and flying around Master Fung’s shoulders like a scarf.

“Master Fung!” He cried, trying to catch his breath. “Did you see?”

“Yes,” said Master Fung finally, his voice small. “I did.” He held a hand to his forehead, stepping back like he was trying to regain his balance. “This is…very disturbing news.”

“Dojo?” asked Omi, looking up at the small white dragon in disbelief. “Is that you?” When Dojo didn’t answer, Omi held Master Fung’s hand. The older man looked down at him, finally acknowledging him.

“Master Fung,” asked Omi. “Is everything alright?”

Slowly, Master Fung shook his head. “No, Omi. It is not.” He sighed, and straightened up, steel creeping into his voice. “Young Dragons,” he announced, his eyes hard like ice, “A new Wu has just awakened. And you must leave immediately to obtain it. For if you let it fall into the wrong hands, there is no telling what could happen.”

“What’s the Wu?” asked Raimundo, forcing himself to keep calm.

Master Fung opened his mouth to answer, but stopped himself and looked around, warily eyeing the shadows. He turned and motioned them to follow. “Come inside. There are always eyes watching in the shadows. I’ll explain everything there. Clay,” he said, turning and eyeing Jermaine’s shirt with concerned eyes. “See Jermaine back to his room. He must get some rest.”

Jermaine stepped forward before he could even think about it. “I’m coming with y’all,” he said confidently.

Master Fung eyed him with a mixture of approval and rejection. “Jermaine, you have a warrior’s spirit, and you are skilled. But this mission will be dangerous and the duty is not yours to take responsibility for. We cannot ask you to-“

“You don’t have to,” interrupted Jermaine, suddenly determined, and focused, and not afraid. “I want to help. Please Master Fung, let me help.”

When Master Fung didn’t answer, Omi stepped forward. “Master Fung, please,” he begged, standing next to Jermaine. “If what you say is true, then having him there with us will help us get this Wu.”

The older man looked back and forth between the two boys for a moment in rigid silence. Then he closed his eyes and bowed. “…Very well. But we must move quickly. Inside. There isn’t any time to lose.”

As everyone began to follow Master Fung into the Temple, Jermaine touched Omi’s arm lightly. “Omi, do you know anything about what’s going on?” he whispered.

Omi shook his head worriedly. “I do not, but I fear that what lies in store for us must truly be something wicked.”

Jermaine bit his lip for a moment, thinking about everything he had just seen, suddenly very aware of his blood-soaked shirt sticking to his chest, filling his nose with the smell of iron. He began to pull it off, Omi watching him and cringing as he eyed the dark stain before Jermaine began to fold his shirt up in his arms. Jermaine met his eyes, looking at him for a moment before reaching out and touching his shoulder. 

“Omi,” he said in a low voice, “I want you to know…No matter what happens, no matter what goes down from here on out, I got your back.”

Despite everything else that had happened that day, Omi smiled, reassured. “And I have yours, Jermaine,” he answered.

\-----

In an ornate lair deep within the lands of the Land of Nowhere, A Heylin witch screamed in the night.

Lions, tigers, panthers and jaguars jolted out of their slumber, followed the cries and shrieks reverberating off of the high walls, racing to their souce until they came across an eerie sight.

Wuya.

She hovered above the purple sheets of her bed, blood-red-hair writhing like a mass of snakes and bright green eyes glowing with an unholy power. Her entire body literally vibrated with his power, the air was thick with it, an electrical current in the atmosphere that crackled and made the jungle cats’ fur spike out in every direction. They growled and hissed at her as she began to come to her senses – and laugh. She laughed and laughed with a vicious glee, sinking back down onto her bed before she jumped up and began to race out of the room, her body still humming with energy. The jungle cats followed, their curiousity overriding their need for self-preservation.

The witch raced down hallways, down staircases and past murals and statues, before bursting through a large, intricate door, slamming them open and calling out in a hoarse, determined voice. **“CHASE.”**

The room she had entered was dimly lit, candles of all sizes flickering on the walls, the floor, the furniture. The heady smell of incense filled the air as her heavy breathing broke the silence of the meditation room, and as her eyes adjusted to the low light, she caught sight of a familiar figure with long dark hair seated in the middle of the room on a large red cushion.

Chase Young did not open his eyes or break out of his half-lotus pose, but after a few more deep breaths, he spoke out in an irritated voice. “There better be a very good reason why you’re interrupting me, Wuya,” he warned dangerously.

“Oh, there _is!”_ said Wuya cheerfully, clasping her hands as she walked over the stone tiles to her evil partner-in-crime. “Chase, darling, sweetheart, I have _wonderful_ news!” She hopped down into his lap (much to his annoyance) and held him by the shoulders as he finally opened his eyes. “A new Wu has revealed itself!” she announced.

Chase sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “As I’ve said before, I have no interest in Wu.”

“You would if you could feel just how powerful this one is,” Wuya protested cuddling closer to him.

“I’ll take your word for it,” Chase said, shoving her off of his lap and standing up. He began to walk over to the table to light some more incense when Wuya blocked his path, ACTUALLY _blocking_ his path like a basketball player on the court. Chase rolled his eyes and groaned. _“Wuya-“_

“Chase,” cried Wuya, her eyes aglow with excitement, “This Wu is BIG, this Wu is the _GREATEST_ , most **_POWERFUL_** one I’ve ever sensed and you’re not even a little bit excited?! _Give me something to work with here!”_ she begged, grabbing him by the shoulders again. 

Staring at her in disbelief, Chase sighed again. “Fine. I’ll humor you,” he said, in a resigned voice, moving past her to light the incense. He summoned a small spark of flame in his hands, focusing on his task. “What’s the name of the Wu?”

“I…” Wuya turned pink, trying to gather herself. “I…don’t know.”

Chase froze, and slowly turned to her. _“…Come again?”_

“The name isn’t coming to me,” admitted Wuya, half-embarrassed and half-surprised at the revelation.”I…this has never happened before,” he muttered, beginning to pace back and forth. “I’m losing my edge. But it’s so POWERFUL. How could I not know the name?!”

Chase watched her for a moment, shaking his head. “Well, what does it look like?” he asked, hoping she’d leave soon so he’d get back to peace and quiet.

“It looks like….a crown?”

Chase froze, his body rigid. 

Wuya, however, did not notice, and in fact, rushed over to one of the shelves and grabbed some parchment, some ink and a brush. “Hang on,” she said, getting down on the floor like a preschooler with a coloring book. “Let me draw it. It…isn’t very attractive. Must have been a real rush job by Dashi.” Within seconds, her painting was done and she hopping back off the ground and shoved it into Chase’s bewildered face. “Here,” she chirped. “It looks just like this! See?”

Chase stared at the paper for the longest time before he finally reached out and took it. He did not blink, he did not speak, and Wuya’s smile began to fade.“Chase?” she asked. “Chase, what’s wrong?”

Chase said nothing, but the paper fell out of his hands and tumbled towards the floor. Wuya watched it fall, and then crossed her arms and pouted. “Well, I admit that I’m not that great of an artist, but you don’t have to be so ru-“

**“WUYA!”**

He moved faster than she could see, and suddenly Wuya found herself pinned against the wall by her throat. She struggled to breathe as the man in front of her shifted into a terrible beast with bronze scales, sharp claws, and breath that stank of rotten dragon meat.

“C-Chase?!” she choked out in fear, but the monster that was Chase Young cut her off, his voice like thunder, frightening her into silence and submission. **“THIS HAD BETTER NOT BE ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR TRICKS, WITCH, BECAUSE IF I FIND OUT THAT YOU’RE LYING TO ME ABOUT THIS, THIS OF ALL POSSIBLE THINGS-“**

“I’m not!” Wuya cried, beginning to see spots as she tried to pry his claws just a little bit looser. “That’s the Wu I had a vision of! Honest!” The monster roared in her face, making her eardrums ring, but she shook her head and shouted right back as best as she could. _“I’m telling the truth!”_

The monster’s luminous yellow eyes looked deep into her own, and for a moment, the ancient witch wondered if this is how her story ended. But then, the grip around her throat loosened, and the monster melted away into Chase Young. He stood back, a stunned expression on his face as Wuya fell to her knees and coughed, trying to breathe right again. Chase stepped back, bumping into a desk and trying to steady himself. “You really are,” he murmured, running a hand through his hair and staring off into the distance. _“You really are telling the truth.”_

Wuya pulled herself up off the floor, never taking her eyes off of him. After a moment, she crept closer, finally understanding. “…..You’re scared,” she said, too amazed at the revelation to find it amusing. “You’re actually SCARED. I ….didn’t even know you could still FEEL fear.” She crept closer, reached out to the man and touched his arm. “Chase, what’s going on? What is this?”

Her touch brought him back to his senses. Chase straightened up and looked her in the eyes with his usual air of authority, all traces of fear gone. “Wuya,” he said in a voice that gave no room for argument, “Listen very carefully to what I am about to tell you. The Wu that you saw in your vision is unlike any other in the world. And it is every bit as powerful as you sense. And because of that, Wuya, you-“

“Will snatch it up before those Dragons get their grubby little paws on it!” she said cheerfully, pounding her fist into her hand in determination before rushing off to leave the room. But before she could, Chase caught her by the wrist and pulled her back to face him. 

_“You will allow the Xiaolin Dragons to obtain it,”_ he corrected, in slow, measured words.

Wuya blinked, then began to giggle, then began to laugh so hard she snorted, actually snorted. “Oh, Chase!” she chuckled, wiping away a tear. “And here I thought you didn’t have a sense of humor! For a minute there I thought you were actually-”

She caught sight of the expression on his face, and her titters began to fade into silence. Realization dawned on her face, then then confusion, then anger. “….No,” she said, standing straight up. “NO. _You’re serious?!”_

“I am,” confirmed Chase, walking closer. “Wuya, you will not go after this Wu. No one on the Heylin side can ever obtain it, _do you understand?”_

 ** _“No!”_** shouted Wuya, turning and firing a blast of energy that tore a chunk out of a nearby pillar in her rage. She began to punch walls, turn over furniture, throw and break things in her anger. “I _don’t!_ I’ve never sensed a Wu like this before! Its power, its _potential, **the chaos it could create – and you’re honestly just going to let it fall into the hands of four Xiaolin brats?!”**_

“Yes,” answered Chase, his tone even as he moved his head to the left to avoid a vase that shattered as it hit the wall behind him. “I am.”

In no time at all, Wuya was left in the center of broken wood, shattered pottery, crumbled masonry and general destruction, livid and dangerous. Chase stood perfectly still, perfectly calm, raising his eyebrow at her in disapproval. Wuya caught her breath, then stamped her foot and crossed her arms. “You’re up to something, Chase. Why are you telling me this? Why can’t I go after it?! WHY-?”

**“ENOUGH.”**

Chase’s voice echoed through the meditation room. His eyes glowed yellow as he walked over to her in a way that made her want to run, but left her frozen where she stood. “You are NOT to go after this Wu,” said Chase, in his firmest voice yet, leaning forward and bringing his face close. “IS. THAT. **CLEAR?”**

Wuya clenched and unclenched her fists before looking away. “Fine. Have it your way.” She looked back at Chase when she realized he was leaving the room. “I-Where are you going?”

“I must leave for the Yin Yang world immediately,” Chase called out over his shoulder. “You’re in charge of the lair and the jungle cats while I’m gone.”

“I… _what?!”_ Wuya chased after him, meeting his brisk speed as he walked down the hallway.

Chase didn’t look at her, but continued to speak as he moved. “There is something I must search for and there’s no time to explain. I have precious llttle time as it is to resolve this matter before it grows into something beyond my control. I must leave now, and I don’t know when I’ll be back, but I will be back. So until I return, Wuya, you will….?”

“Do nothing,” said Wuya in a bored voice.

 _“Exactly,”_ said Chase, smiling.

Wuya groaned with the ennui of a spoiled teenager. “Anything else you would like me to do while you’re gone, _Chase?”_ she asked, adding a touch of venom in the way she said his name.

“ _As a matter of fact,_ ” said Chase dangerously, iron creeping into his own voice as he came to a stop outside a large, intricate door. “There is.”

He opened the door, and the two walked into a lush bedroom with a ceiling as high as a cathedral. The furniture was made of a dark, polished wood, with cushions and fabrics of the richest materials everywhere. There was a bed, large and soft and beautiful, and Chase stopped in front of it, turning to Wuya.

Wuya looked at the bed and at him for a few times before giving him a sly smile. “Chase, _honey,”_ she said in a sultry voice as she sat back on the bed in a suggestive pose. “I’m more than happy to give you a _proper_ send-off, but you could at _least_ buy me dinner first.”

Chase stared back at her unamused as he walked past her and pulled a bed curtain back to reveal a small golden lever. He pulled it down, and the bed began to move. Wuya squealed in surprise as the mattress slid back and began to disappear into the wall. She hopped off and stumbled over her feet, Chase indulging her by helping her steady herself as the mattress, then the floor, moved back to reveal a hidden staircase that sank into the ground below.

Wuya stared at it, then looked back at Chase in surprise. He gestured her down the steps like a man holding open a door for his date. “Age before beauty,” he said with a smirk.

Wuya scowled, her eyes flashing green with Heylin magic. **“去你的,”** she spat as she began to walk down the dark stairs. Chase chuckled loudly as he followed her. 

“So what is this place?” asked Wuya after a moment or two of walking in candlelit silence. 

“It’s where I keep things that are of value to me,” said Chase casually.

Wuya harrumphed, looking at the subterranean walls in distaste.“You know, you could just buy a safety deposit box,” he commented. “Or a safe. Mortals these days sell small personal ones online that you could have shipped out to you the next morning. They’ll even engrave your name on it.”

Finally, they came to a small chamber with many, many chests. Chase stood in front of one, momentarily turning his hand into a claw and using a nail as a key. When it opened, Wuya stood over it and peered down. 

“I thought you said you didn’t care for Wu,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t,” said Chase. “But some Wu are just too dangerous to ignore.” He pulled it out from the depths of the chest, careful not to cut himself on the blade. “I discovered this one centuries ago at the bottom of a riverbed, guarded by a water spirit. It wasn’t active then, and is still not active now, but I could not simply leave it there. Not after I remembered what it could do.” He held it in his hands, bringing it closer to her. “Do you know what this is?”

Wuya ran her hand over it, thinking. “I recognize Dashi’s handiwork, but the name escapes me.”

“It is the Axe of the Ancients,” said Chase Young. “And it can cut through absolutely anything.”

“Hmmm,” she answered thoughtfully.

Chase twirled it around to a much safer position before holding it out to her. “Take it,” he ordered.

Wuya blinked but didn’t move. Chase rolled his eyes and moved for her, passing it on into her hands. She stumbled a little bit, surprised by the heaviness of the Wu, still barely processing what was happening. “You’re giving away a Wu?” she asked in disbelief. “To _me?_ Of all people?” She stepped forward and reached a hand out to check his forehead for a fever. “Are you SURE about that?”

Chase gently brushed her hand away. “There are enemies on both the Xiaolin and Heylin side who will be looking for this. You are to keep it close and keep it safe at all costs.”

“Wh-?”

Chase gave her a look, and Wuya’s question died in her throat. She sighed and rolled her eyes. “Okay,” she said, adjusting the Axe in her arms so she could count off of her fingers. “Stand by and do nothing. Guard the axe. Easy enough, I guess.”

“Good,” said Chase, patting her on the shoulder. “And now, I really must be going.”

The two made their way back to the world above, Wuya pestering him with questions the entire time.

“What if someone else on the Heylin side gets the Wu before the Dragons do?”

“Then their fate is sealed and there is nothing anyone can do for them.”

“And what if Hannibal gets it? Immortals have long memories, Chase. He’s still gunning for you. And me. If he got his hands on this Wu-”

“He wouldn’t use it.”

Wuya stopped dead in her tracks. They had just made their way into Chase’s bedroom again. Chase pulled the level and watched as his mattress slid back into place before answering her unspoken question. “If he found out about this, and he WILL find out sooner or later, it would be of GREAT interest to him. But he wouldn’t use it. And as long as you keep that Axe safe, he won’t be of any concern.”

He made his way over to her and, to her immense surprise, gave her a light kiss on the cheek, holding her by her shoulders in the closest thing to a hug he was willing to give. “Goodbye, Wuya,” he said softly, walking out of the room. “And good luck.”

Wuya watched him go, feeling the spot on her cheek where he had kissed her, trying to ignore the fact that she was blushing. Then her eyes narrowed in annoyance. “Hmmph,” she said, turning to a nearby lioness lounging on a nearby ottoman. “ _Men._ Always with their mysteries.”

The lioness grunted in agreement.

\----

In the main chamber of his evil lair, Chase Young stood in front of a swirling portal, the Ying Yoyo in one hand, the Yang Yoyo in the other. He turned back to face the throngs of jungle cats staring at him. “While I’m gone, all of you are to report to Wuya until I return,” he called out to them. “Keep the lair safe, and keep her out of trouble.“

A flutter of wings overhead got his attention, and Chase met eyes with his faithful crow, peering down at him from a nearby statue.  
“And you,” he said, prompting the crow to fly down onto his shoulder. _“Keep an eye on Wuya’s every move,”_ he whispered. “If she tries _anything,_ find me in the Yin Yang world and report back to me immediately. We can’t afford to have her mess this up. _I_ can’t afford to have her mess this up. I’m already taking a huge risk as it is by leaving.”

The crow cocked its head and cawed.

“Because there’s something there that I have to find,” Chase answered. “Something, and someone.” 

The crow nodded, and Chase watched as it flew away to find Wuya. He turned away from his jungle cats like a soldier leaving for war. “I’m off. Goodbye, and good luck.”

The jungle cats roared in response, a cacophony of snarls and growls filling Chase’s ears as he stepped through the portal. 

“Good luck,” he said to himself. “We’re going to need it.”

And then he was gone.

\---

Far away, a lone bird slept atop a dead tree.

But she began to stir when she heard something underneath her begin to laugh.

Ying Ying opened one beady black eye, lifting herself up and peering down at her master. Hannibal Roy Bean laughed, his eyes flashing with malice as he bounced up and onto the bird’s face.

“Ying Ying!” he said, stroking the bird’s beak affectionately. “Do you feel that?”

The bird stood still, perfectly still, then nodded in agreement, her own eyes beginning to sparkle with excitement.

“ _Finally,_ ” whispered Hannibal Roy Bean as he continued to laugh. _“FINALLY!_ We’ve waited so, so long for this day, haven’t we, my dear?”

Ying Ying, now fully awake, cawed loudly, stretching her wings out up towards the moon high above.

“Well then, what are we waiting for?” the bean asked as he hopped on her back. “We have some unfinished business to take care of.” He chuckled, low and dark, as she began to fly up into the night air. “And nothing, and nobody, is gonna stand in our way.”


	6. The Journey of A Thousand Miles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, you might want to SCROLL DOWN SLOWLY when reading this one.
> 
> Seriously. S C R O L L . D O W N . S L O W L Y .
> 
> Don't think about it too hard, just roll with it.
> 
> Anyways.
> 
> I feel like this is the point where the real story begins to unfold. This story, and some of its characters, have both changed a lot since I started writing this, in ways I never knew they would. The world is full of unexpected things. But I do know one thing for certain, and it's that this fanfiction probably isn't going to be what you're expecting. And that's fine. It just makes this whole thing more fun for the both of us, right?
> 
> I just want to say, before we jump into the chapter, thank you for reading. Thank you for giving this a chance. Thank you for your time and your support, whether our time together might be short, or whether you're riding this out with me to the very (far-off) end.
> 
> Thank you, all of you. 
> 
> Oh, and remember: 
> 
> The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single misstep.
> 
> \---------

In the basement of the Spicer mansion, an android’s operating system came to life.

His systems whirring and humming almost too quietly to hear, Robojack sat up off a couch in the corner of the lab, running a hand through synthetic hair. Shaking his head as he felt his CPU boot up, the world came into focus as the sensors in his eyes turned on one by one. “Wow,” he said, looking around at the mess before him. “That was some party last night.”

The laboratory was usually one of the most pristine places in the whole house, the cleanliness level enforced by Jack Spicer himself for safety and efficiency. But after twelve solid booze-fueled hours of marathoning Tigress Woo movies, a brutal Goo Zombies 8 tournament that ended in a fistfight, an impromptu drag show, and a few rousing games of Cards Against Humanity, the entire lower level of the Spicer mansion was in ruin. A layer of empty beer bottles, poker chips and confetti carpeted the ground, and Robojack couldn’t walk two steps without bumping into an unconscious Jackbot, half of them wearing feather boas and fake pearls. 

In fact, he noticed as he looked around the room, he was the first and only robot in the lab who had “woken up” thus far.

Robojack grinned at this revelation and pulled out a marker.

After twenty minutes of defacing his “brothers” with curse words and suggestive doodles, he finally wandered upstairs, looking through his memory files of the previous night’s shenaningans. “Aw man,” he snickered, as a risqué image came up in his search. “2A65L is _never_ gonna live this down.” Smirking wickedly at the thought of blackmail, he stepped into the kitchen -

\- And came face to face with himself.

Sort of.

“Woah!” said Robojack as he came back to the present. “Uh,” he said uncertainly, looking his creator up and down, “…Morning, champ.”

Jack Spicer said nothing, blinking at him through sleepy eyes and grunting like a caveman as he shuffled past Robojack to the refrigerator. Robojack watched the teen stumble over his bathrobe, swinging the fridge door open lazily and reaching past the milk and the eggs for his breakfast with all the enthusiasm of an eight-day-old corpse.

 _Yikes,_ Robojack mouthed to himself.

“You, uh…..you feeling okay, Einstein?” asked Robojack, eyeing the teenager’s unwashed body with mild disgust. “You don’t look so hot.”

“Muh,” said Jack as he finally pulled out a chocolate pudding cup from the fridge and slammed the door shut. He dug around the heap of dirty dishes in the sink for a spoon, not even bothering to wash it off as he sat himself down at the dining island. He began to eat, staring off into space and spooning pudding into his mouth soullessly, like a zombie at a Denny’s.

Robojack tiptoed over and sat down a few chairs away, leaning an elbow on the smooth white countertop in what he hoped was a casual pose. "So," he began awkwardly, "How've you been, meatwad? I can't quite put my finger on why, but it feels like literal months since I've last heard from you."

Jack kept silent and continued eating, not even bothering to look his way.

“There’s other food in there, you know,” Robojack said, pointing his thumb at the refrigerator behind him. “Eggs, spinach, grapefruit, yogurt. Your Mom bought a buttload of kale before she left - she's still on that health kick. How about a real breakfast?” Robojack coughed into his hand awkwardly, a habit he had picked up from studying human body language through television. “You haven’t been eating lately. Going on pudding cup benders?” He shrugged. “Sure. But not eating.” He glanced sideways at the teenager, trying to hide the concern in his voice. “Don’t fleshbags like you need actual fuel? Pretty sure pudding doesn’t count for much in terms of nutrition.”

Jack’s spoon clattered to the floor as the teenager finished his meal, and he finally turned to the android with hostile eyes. “Do you ever _shut up?”_ he hissed.

Robojack fell silent, sitting up and crossing his arms with a scowl. He swiveled around to face the wall. “Yeesh. Touchy,” he muttered under his breath.

The android sat perfectly still as he listened to Jack stand up, pick the spoon off the floor and throw it to the sink across the room. “I’m going back to bed,” he said dully, dropping the empty pudding cup in the trash.

Robojack stared at him in disbelief. “You just got OUT of bed,” he protested, standing up.

“So?”

“So, don’t you think you’re maybe sleeping a lot?” Robojack rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You’ve been in your room taking naps for three straight weeks. At first I thought you were trying to reset your sleep cycle, but now....it's just weird. Are you sick or something?”

Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. “Like _you_ care.”

“I care about being recycled into a toaster.”

At this, Jack cocked his head in confusion at his double, who began to fidget with his fingers as he looked away nervously. “Your dad left, uh, shall we say, _very specific instructions_ to keep an eye on you while your mom’s gone.” He tugged at his collar. “And a _very good description_ of what would happen to me if I didn’t comply.”

“Hmmph,” Jack’s eyes darkened as he stared down at his slippers. “He would.”

“Soooo, how about it?” said Robojack, clapping his hands as he changed the subject. “Want me to make you some matzo ball soup? I can call up Bubbe Spicer and get her recipe. I can even swing by Florida and bring her back here so she can baby you until you feel better! She’d love that!”

“Oh for the love of – “ Jack Spicer threw up his arms in indignation. _“Lay off,_ alright?! I feel fine! If anything changes, I’ll just get one of the other Jackbots to do a check-up on me.”

“Yeahhhh,” said Robojack, averting his eyes guiltily, “That’s…not happening anytime soon.”

Jack narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What did you do?” 

Robojack grinned sheepishly and opened his mouth to answer, but Jack just sighed and cut him off. “You know what, don’t tell me. I don't give a crap.” He began to walk out of the kitchen. “I need to get some sleep.”

“What you NEED is to get out of bed and do something,” scolded Robojack, exercising his robotic strength as he pulled the teenager back by the scruff of his robe. “Why don’t you go to the comic shop and pick up some more issues of Doktor Nefarious?”

“No thanks,” said Jack, shaking his head.

“Why don’t you go check out that new space-opera movie? You love trashing the Hollywood science behind those things. If you catch an early show, you can have the whole theater to yourself and throw popcorn at the screen.”

“Pass.”

“Why don’t you call up one of your fffff _ffff-?”_

Jack gave the android a flat, uncompromising stare as Robojack realized that he had made a very big mistake, and he scrambled to save the conversation from utter ruin. _“Ffffffavorite cousins?”_ he finally finished, grinning nervously.

“Like, who?” asked Jack, raising an eyebrow. “Megan?” He gagged. “I’d rather lobotomize myself with a soldering iron. Besides, I’m pretty sure she went to Indonesia with Aunt Sarah for the summer." 

“Fine,” sighed Robojack, pinching the bridge of his nose and waving him off. “Then just get to the lab and get some work done, I don’t know.”

“Not interested.”

Robojack froze, and then slowly turned to Jack again, his robotic irises growing and shrinking like camera shutters. “….Roll that back?”

Jack crossed his arms and shrugged. “I’m not interested. I don’t feel like working on anything today. I’m tired.” Jack sighed deeply, the bags under his eyes seeming much deeper and darker now. “I’m really...really tired,” he muttered.

 _“Wait.”_ Robojack made his way over to him, his movements rigid as he forgot to feign "human" in his surprise. “Let me get this straight. You, Jack Spicer, _Evil Boy Genius,_ don’t want to build anything today? _At all?”_

“That’s what I _said,”_ snapped Jack, eyeing the robot suspiciously.

Robojack was silent for three solid seconds before he spoke. “All right, that does it.”

Before Jack could understand what was happening, he felt himself being lifted up by a pair of _very strong_ mechanical arms and carried, bridal style, to the living room. “PUT ME DOWN!” he cried, struggling to escape the android’s grasp as he felt something tugging at his clothes. “What are you – hey, HEY, _HEY, **GIVE ME BACK MY SHIRT!”**_

“No can do, Jack-a-roo,” said Robojack, standing back from a stripped-down redhead and summoning a holographic screen from his hands. “Something’s wrong with you and we need to find out what it is. Now let’s do some x-rays. Here,” he said, opening his chest compartment and tossing something to the bewildered teenager. “Put on the lead vest. No one likes tumors.”

“Where did you get a lead vest?!” screeched Jack, shivering in his underwear.

“Internet.”

 _“Why_ do you own a lead vest?!”

Robojack rolled his eyes. “For the _x-rays,_ genius. Now hold still, this is no time for modesty." He held the screen in front of him and inspected Jack critically from behind the neon-blue glow. “Jeez, look at that pasty skin tone. I think I’m gonna have to run some blood tests after this -“

“B-back off!” said Jack, tripping over his feet and crawling backwards away from his advancing double. “You know how I feel about needles!”

“Aw, come on, don’t be such a baby-“

“I AM NOT A BABY!”

Just then, the two were interrupted by a loud alarm that blared through the whole house. The lights above them began to flicker on and off, bathing them in a red glow as the large flat screen on the wall turned on by itself. Both of them watched as a blue image of Earth appeared on the television, slowly focusing in on a bright red dot. Across the top and bottom of the screen, the words “WU ALERT” scrolled past in yellow letters.

“Huh.” Robojack’s holoscreen flickered away as he lowered his arms. “A new Shen Gong Wu. And it’s in….Newfoundland, Canada?” He tilted his head in curiosity as the screen zeroed in on the island, words and coordinates appearing on the screen. “Huh. That’s arbitrary. Says here it’s in a little town called “Silent Harbor.”” Robojack raised an eyebrow. _“Charming._ Well,” he shrugged, “At least it’s in North America, so if you leave by jet now, you could probably get there-” 

Robojack fell silent mid-sentence as the screen changed to a Mexican soap opera. Puzzled, he turned to see that Jack had sprawled out onto the couch, remote in hand. He flipped through channels lazily with a bored look on his face.

“Uh, hello?” said Robojack, snapping his fingers. “Genius? There’s a new Wu to hunt. Aren’t you gonna…you know…” He gestured with his hands. “Do your thing?”

“Why bother?” said Jack, pausing on an episode of Mythbusters for half a minute before continuing his search.

The television screen slowly faded from view as Robojack edged his way in front of Jack, arms crossed as he patiently waited for an explanation. Jack looked up at him in irritation, rolling his eyes as he lowered the volume and sat up. “We both know I’m not bringing anything back if I leave, and we both know that I haven’t won a single Showdown in over a year.” He ran a hand over his face in exasperation. “Every time I’ve gone out to chase after some Shen Gong Wu – EVERY TIME – I’ve gotten my butt handed to me. The Tapestry of Fate? Lost it to Kimiko after she blasted me off of a mountain. Ceridwen’s Cauldron? I ALMOST had it, but then Clay OF ALL PEOPLE beat me to it by a second. _The Voyager’s Compass?!_ Forget it!”

“Didn’t you just straight up _forfeit_ that one to Chase when he came looking for it?” asked Robojack.

Jack turned red and stuttered for a moment before speaking. “I didn't _forfeit_ it, I gave it to him of my own free will! I’m not stupid enough to get into a Xiaolin Showdown against CHASE YOUNG,” he whined. “That’s suicide! And he's my evil hero! You KNOW that!”

“Well, okay fine!” huffed Robojack. “But come on! There’s a hot new Wu out there, just hours away from California. You’re closer to it than anyone else! You could grab it and be back by lunch!” He gestured to the door. “Come on! Go fetch!”

“No way,” said Jack, lying back down on the couch. “There’s no point in trying anymore.”

“Why not?”

Jack stared up at the ceiling for a long time in silence. Suddenly, he turned to look at Robojack. “Did I ever program you with a solid knowledge of statistics?”

Robojack narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What are you-?”

“Rhetorical question,” said Jack, shifting over to his side. “I KNOW I did. Well, whatever. Here’s a refresher course for you. In statistics, there’s a difference between an impossible event and an improbable event. Impossible events are-“

“A mathematical absurdity,” said Robojack.

“Right.” Jack nodded, his hands moving as he talked. “It’s like rolling five six-sided dice one by one and expecting the sum total of each roll to equal one. There are _five dice,_ so the lowest number you could get after rolling each dice could _only be five._ The probability of getting one as an answer in that situation is zero, which makes that particular outcome _statistically impossible.”_

“Improbable events, on the other hand…” Jack paused, then sat up, clutching a nearby throw pillow to his chest and crossing his legs. “Improbable events are different. Their possibility is low, maybe even ridiculously low, but there’s still a mathematical chance they can happen. An improbable event is unlikely, but not _impossible._ So no matter what it is, you can keep on hoping that it’s going to happen. Your hope keeps you going. It’s…” He looked down at his lap, holding the pillow tighter. “It’s kept me going since the second grade when I started getting into the whole "evil" thing. It's kept me going since I met Wuya. It’s….all I really have, sometimes.”

Robojack said nothing. Jack sighed and sank back on the soft couch, staring at the ceiling again. “Maybe it’s not _impossible_ for me to win another Showdown, and maybe there is still a chance that I could go out right now and grab me some Wu.” He shook his head and closed his eyes. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m done. Improbable, impossible, whatever. I’m not wasting any more energy on something that the universe _obviously_ doesn’t want me to have.” 

Jack let out a long, deep breath and curled up into a ball. “Let’s face it,” he mumbled. “This whole ‘world domination’ plan was doomed from the start.”

The silence was broken by the sound of breaking glass and splintering wood.

Jack jolted up, yelping as he saw that the coffee table in front of him had been split in half, Robojack crouched over it with a fist where the table used to be. The android slowly stood up again, a few shards of glass sticking out of his twitching hand.

Jack cringed at the sight, instinctively rubbing his own hand.

“What happened to you?!” screamed Robojack, his pupils glowing a piercing neon blue in his anger. When Jack didn’t answer, his creation began to pace back and forth, waving his arms as he ranted. “What happened to Mr. I-Want-To-Rule-The-World?! Mr. Prince of Darkness, Mr. Heylin Mastermind?! Where’s the meatsack that builds armies and screws around with the space-time continuum? Where’s the jerk that chases after what he wants and never gives up on his crazy dream?!” He lunged forward and grabbed Jack by the shoulders, looking him dead in the eye. _“What’s wrong with you?”_

Jack stared back and leaned in close. _**“I woke up.”**_

Robojack stood, stunned, as Jack gently pushed his hands away, got up and walked into the kitchen. Seconds later, he returned with a broom and a dustpan, tossing them to the android. “You break it, you clean it, you fix it.” He turned to walk up the staircase and to his room. “I’m going back to bed.”

_**“No!”** _

Jack cringed at the feeling of cold, strong fingers gripping tightly around his wrist. He looked back at Robojack, whose eyes were still bright and glowing like stars. Jack swallowed, but puffed himself up, trying to ignore the fact he was already sweating.“D-do you really want me to disable you for another few days again?” he warned, raising his other arm to reveal the controls he wore on his wrist.

Robojack just gripped him tighter, causing Jack to hiss in pain. “No. I want you to get dressed, get your gear, _pull your head out of your butt, and go get that Wu!”_

 _“WHY?”_ whined Jack, trying to free himself from the vicelike grip with no success.

“Because you **need** this!” insisted Robojack. And with that, he yanked Jack roughly back down the stairs.

Jack tripped and stumbled over his slippers, waving his arms to keep himself from falling before whirling around, angry beyond reason. “Why are you pushing so hard for this?!” yelled Jack, shoving the android in the chest. “Because I have nothing else going for me except a stupid dream that was dead on arrival?! Because it’s funny to see me fail day after day?!”

“Because sleeping all day and never leaving the house is **not healthy!”** shouted Robojack, shoving back hard enough to push the breath out of Jack's lungs. “Get out, get some fresh air, fight the Dragons, meet a girl, meet a guy, punch Chase Young in the face, _I don’t know! Do **something! Anything! Just don’t stay here!”**_

 _ **“What do you care?!”**_ screamed Jack.

At this, Robojack faltered and made a flustered sound, something that no robot should have been able to mimic so perfectly. “I-I don’t care!” he retorted, uncertainty flickering across his face before he stomped his foot. “I _don’t!”_

_“Then why are you telling me all of this?!”_

_**“BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS TO DO IT, AND I’M ALL YOU’VE GOT!”** _

Robojack and Jack stood there at the bottom of the stairs in unbroken silence for what felt like hours. Time ticked on as the two stared each other down, neither one willing to compromise. 

Finally, Jack took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, drooping in defeat. “We both know I’m not getting that Wu,” he mumbled.

Robojack’s eyes faded back to normal, and he reached out to take Jack’s hands in his. “We both know you need to _try,”_ he said softly.

Jack’s eyes moved from his robot's face down to their hands and back again before he yanked his arm away, unused to such a gesture. “Fine, whatever, I’m going,” he huffed as his face turned pink, crossing his arms and pouting. “If _only_ just to get away from you.”

If the android had been human, he would have sighed in relief. “That’s the spirit, jerkwad,” said Robojack, stepping back and grinning. He turned around and headed into the kitchen, choosing to ignore the mess in the living room for the time being. “Here, you go take a shower and get ready. I’ll whip something up and pack you a lunch. I’ll even be nice and throw in a pudding cup!”

“Hmmph.” Jack rolled his eyes and began to walk up the stairs, running a hand through his greasy, unwashed hair. “You’re probably just going to lace it with cyanide.”

“Not this time!” called out Robojack, tying the strings of his sunny yellow apron behind his back.

\--------------

Half an hour later, the two of them were outside. Jack sat in the cockpit of his jet, testing the controls one by one and making sure everything was in working order. Robojack busied himself with refueling, loading, and finally, checking, double-checking and triple-checking everything on the outside. His eyes glowed blue as he scanned the jet for any abnormalities, walking up and down and all around the jet. Usually, he wasn’t so invested in the pre-flight inspection, but this time would be different.

The two Jacks had gotten into another brief altercation when Robojack learned that no one else was going on this Wu hunt. Jack himself was vague on the details as to why, but he made it quite clear that he didn't want anyone coming with him during this outing. Even the Jackbots who had "woken up" after their crazy night and volunteered to join him were turned down. Robojack suspected that the feather boas and marker doodles on their metal bodies did not help their case very much.

When Robojack had opened his mouth to suggest coming along himself for back-up, Jack had given him such a sour look that the android simply rolled his eyes and stayed quiet. 

_You know what?_ Robojack thought to himself, as he made his way over to the cockpit. _He’s going, and that’s victory enough for me._

Robojack knocked on the glass of the window, getting the real Jack’s attention. “All right,” he said, giving the redhead the thumbs up. “We’re good to go.”

“Everything’s looking fine here too,” said Jack, adjusting his headphones and his seatbelt. “Then, if that's everything, I guess I’ll head out now. But I’m telling you right now, R.J.,” he said, looking over at his robot doubtfully. “This road leads nowhere.”

“Well, Chuckles,” said Robojack as he leaned against the glass, “It’s a step in the right direction.” He smiled. “And the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Jack stared at him with an unreadable expression on his face. Robojack’s smile fell in the midst of awkward silence, and he cleared his throat and knocked on the glass window as a farewell. “Get moving, jerk. To infinity and beyond, or whatever.”

“Yeah, yeah,” said Jack, coming back to himself and rolling his eyes. “I’m going.” 

With that, Robojack leapt backwards with inhuman agility, landing a safe distance away from the jet. Switching on the controls, Jack Spicer was airborne within minutes, leaving the Spicer mansion in his dust. The city of Blue Moon Bay slowly disappeared from view as he flew higher into the sky, basking in the warmth of the California sunshine.

Jack looked out the window as he rose over a sea of clouds. Usually the view from his jet was a treat he never got tired of, but today the endless stretch of white seemed ominous somehow. Something felt different about this Wu hunt, and if asked, he wouldn’t even be able to say what it was. But it had him on edge, a faint premonition of dread crawling up his spine and turning his blood cold. 

Something inside Jack told him to turn back. He almost listened to it.

But in the end, he just sighed and shifted around in his seat. “It’s just another Wu Hunt, Jack,” he said out loud. “Go out there, find it, come back. Easy-peasy.”

His grip tightened on the steering wheel. 

“What’s the worst that could happen?”

\-------------

In the humble seaside town of Silent Harbor, Newfoundland, a young police officer leaned over a railing and looked out at the ocean.

The air was full of the sound of crashing waves and the cries of seabirds overhead. Down by the docks where an army of ships and dories waited patiently for their owners, fishermen in their boots and overalls chatted to each other cheerfully, laughing to each other as they went about their business. Clotheslines fluttered in the wind as they spiderwebbed across the colorful houses that were scattered all over the rocky slopes. High on a cliff above the town, a lighthouse stood guard and kept watch over both the town and the boats at sea. In the distance, a humpback whale breached high out of the water, its tail sinking below the waves with a splash.

The police officer smiled as she breathed in the salty air. She had grown up here all her life, and had always started off her lunch break here at this spot ever since she joined the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary. But the view never once got old.

She sighed dreamily and looked at her watch before deciding that it was time to grab a bite to eat. Adjusting her hat, she turned to leave, but stopped when she caught sight of a young boy walking up the street. He was dressed in a heavy black coat that just didn’t suit the summer sunshine, with pale skin and the brightest head of red hair she had ever seen. The teenager was completely alone, checking the watch on his wrist – Was it a watch? Did watches blink that much? – as he made his way down the road, looking around for something.

Was he lost?

“Afternoon, son!” called out the police officer, jogging over to the teenager and waving him down. She smiled brightly, ever the people person, once she reached him. “Can I help you find somethin' today?”

The redhead paused in his tracks, looking her up and down with disdain. “Do I _know_ you?”

“I-I….” For a moment, the officer faltered, stumbling over her words at the sound of the hostility in his voice. She collected herself immediately, trying to smile again. “Well, I saw you coming up the road like you was looking for somethin', so I was just wondering if you were lost.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully, trying to put a name to his face and drawing a blank. “Don’t think I’ve seen you around town before. You come from away, don’t you? Not…uh…” She scrambled for words again as he stared at her blankly, confused at the unfamiliar phrase. “Y-you’re not a local, is what I mean. Need any help getting around?” She pointed to the pub she had been walking towards. “The Drunken Sailor has some maps for tourists you could use. If you want to walk with me, we could -”

Scoffing loudly, the boy rolled his eyes and turned back around to look at the Wu Detector on his wrist, already walking away. “Can it, Dudley Doright,” he called out condescendingly over his shoulder. “I don’t have time to waste on you.”

The officer fell silent as she watched him leave until he was nothing but a speck of black and red in the distance. Thoroughly embarrassed and more than a little put off, she shook her head in disapproval and continued towards the Drunken Sailor for her fish and chips. _“Jesus H,”_ she muttered to herself. “What a hard case.”

\--------------

Down the road, Jack made a right turn, leaving Main Street and walking up a steep hill. “Pfft. What a poser.” He began mimicking the officer’s voice. “‘Need any help getting around?' Ugh. Like she even cares. Probably just posturing for any tourist stupid enough to come here.”

_Splat._

Jack gagged in disgust, taking a step back from the seagull dropping in front of him that he had narrowly avoided by a hair. He pulled out his ray gun and shot straight upwards without looking. A burnt mass of charred feathers fell to the earth with a soft _thump_ a few seconds later. Jack sidestepped the dead bird and its poop, marching up the road with a scowl. “The sooner I find that Wu, the sooner I can get out of this dump.”

Jack made his way up the hill, the asphalt under his feet eventually giving way to a dirt road as the businesses ended and a residential area began. The gaps between the houses got bigger and bigger, with long stretches of picket fences and tall grasses surrounding him. Jack followed the Wu Detector, the beeping steadily growing more consistent, a pulse leading him to his prize. 

Finally Jack stopped at the end of the road, where the ground flattened out into a wide field that rose up and over the town, giving him a perfect view of the ocean. Jack paid no attention, his eyes transfixed on his wrist as the signal got stronger. “It’s around here somewhere,” he muttered to himself, moving his arm slowly to see where it was coming from. “But where? ….Wait. _Wait.”_

Jack looked up to face the very last house at the end of the road, its cheery blue paint bright against the evergreens and the dark cliff it sat on. Jack blinked, and walked around the white wooden fence past the house, listening to the beeping slow down. Now behind the house, he pointed it to the back porch, and the beeping grew loud and insistent again.

“Hmm.” Jack put his goggles over his eyes, running his finger over a small switch on the side. The house became transparent, and Jack inspected the building for a good minute or two until he was satisfied that no one was home. 

“Well,” sighed Jack, as he used his helipack to get over the fence, “A little breaking and entering never hurt anyone, right?” He stuck his hand into a nearby blueberry bush, stuffing his mouth with a handful of ripe, sweet berries. “Besides,” he munched loudly, “I can finally work on my stealth skills.”

\------------

Twenty minutes after repeatedly trying to pick the back door’s lock and failing miserably at it, Jack Spicer finally crashed through the open kitchen window, yelping loudly as he rolled onto the hardwood floor and bumped his head on the table.“Owwww!” he whined, rubbing the sore spot on his head. _“Man._ This Wu _better_ be worth all the hassle.” Groaning dramatically, he stood up and brushed himself off, pressing a button on his wrist. A small satellite dish poked out of a compartment on his “watch”, moved in a circle three times, then sank back into place as a holo-screen popped up. “All right,” said Jack, inspecting the layout of the house. “One house. Llllllots of rooms. Let’s get to it.”

Jack combed through the basement, every room and little nook on the first level, and all of the second level bedrooms, bathrooms and closets of the home with no success. But when he made his way up another set of stairs and to the door of the attic, the Wu Detector started going crazy. Jack pushed the door open and peered inside, first in surprise, then in mild awe. 

There was a bed, and a dresser, and a desk piled high with library books on plants. A full-length mirror sat in the corner, and sunlight streamed in from a large, triangular window. It was, all in all, a cozy bedroom. But what caught his attention was the fact that the walls of this room were plastered with dozens upon _dozens_ of photos - and none of them were of people. 

New York City in the morning. A desert prairie littered with cacti. Tropical beaches with turquoise waters. The Milky Way over an empty mountain road. Lions prowling on the savannah of Africa. It made Jack dizzy just trying to process everything he was looking at. There were so many images pinned to the walls, the ceiling, and some of the furniture that Jack couldn’t even guess what the color of the wallpaper underneath even was. Overhead, there were more photographs held up by clothespins on fishing wire strung up all over the ceiling. These small Polaroid snapshots were all of places in Silent Harbor.

And smack dab in the middle of all the chaos, on the biggest wall over the bed, there was an enormous map of the world, at least as big as the bed itself. Spiderwebs of pushpins and colorful strings of thread covered the map, obsessive and erratic in their placement, and at the bottom of the poster where there was empty ocean space, in big, strange, loopy handwriting, someone had written the words, “And miles to go before I sleep.”

“Man,” Jack said, closing the door as he gawked at the display before him. ”Someone’s got _problems.”_ He followed the Wu Detector towards the bed, crouched down and reached out to feel around. “So if this thing is right, then the Wu should be….under here.”

His fingers touched a loose floorboard, and after moving it aside and feeling cold metal on his fingertips, he pulled out an old metal box from the hidden space under the bed, paint chipping away at the edges. Face lit up with glee, he opened it, eager to find what he was looking for inside.

It was filled with all sorts of junk. Bottlecaps for a local beer. Fishing lures. A folded-up, faded Jolly Roger flag. A half-dozen CD albums for a band named Great Big Sea.

 _Another_ photograph.

Jack took it out for closer inspection, intrigued by the fact that this photo was of a person. A big man with wild blonde hair and a truly impressive beard winked at him cheekily with a wide, mischievous grin. He was leaning on the railing of some balcony at sunset, holding a pipe of tobacco in his hand and raising it in a toast at the camera. The sea stretched out behind him, and in the distance was the faint unearthly glimmer of the Northern Lights. Jack wasn’t one for these kinds of mementos – the very idea of mementos made him gag – but he did have to admit that this was a pretty nice photo, and obviously very special to the person who kept it there.

That didn’t stop him from crumpling it up and tossing it over his shoulder as he continued to sift through the box.

When he finally reached the bottom, he touched something that almost _vibrated_ with magic. After years of handling ancient Chinese power objects, his hands were very familiar with the unmistakable tingle of a Shen Gong Wu. Smug with triumph, Jack pulled out the Wu, holding it in the light that streamed through the nearby window to see -

“A….crown?”

A crown.

Or, what used to be a crown. It was a simple thing, one long, circular band of metal, with the ends coming together into two spirals, and it was UGLY. Crusty and blackened by what looked like centuries of being underwater, it was a pathetic, misshapen thing to look at. For a moment, Jack contemplated putting it back where he found it.

The power that resonated through his fingers told him not to.

“Hmm,” he said, still unimpressed as he inspected it closely. “Must have been a real rush job by Dashi. ‘Greatest Xiaolin warrior of all time.’ At least _I_ know a thing or two about craftsmanship.” He rolled his eyes as he fidgeted with the gears on his wrist. “Whatever. Let’s see what the database says.”

A bright blue light scanned the crown he held in his hand, and Jack waited patiently for the database to pull up something, anything, about his new prize. Within seconds, words began to blink on the holoscreen in front of him, and his expression turned sour.

’Wu not found?’” he read slowly. Jack growled in irritation, opting to retry. “Come on, you stupid thing!” he hissed, forgetting to keep his voice down. “Work!”. A minute later, he was frowning at the same words again, mocking him as they blinked up at him once more. “‘Wu not found,’” he read in a defeated voice, running a hand over his face. “Ugh, am I gonna have to make repairs to this too?” He sighed. “You know what? It doesn’t even matter.” Jack stood up, smiling in satisfaction at the Wu he held in his hands. “I got what I came here for.”

A sudden crashing sound from below made Jack jump and almost drop the Wu. Jack whirled around to the bedroom door, his heart skipping a beat. 

Someone was home.

Jack slowly got up off the ground, nudging the box back under the bed as silently as he could. Someone was _definitely_ home, and whoever they were, they most certainly were **not** happy. He could hear things breaking, dishes being thrown against walls and onto floors, and if he listened closely, it sounded like someone was yelling something. He could not make out the words, nor did he want to.

The sound of footsteps running up the stairs made his stomach drop, and he bolted instinctively for the nearby closet, hurriedly jumping in and closing the door behind him. Jack buried himself between jackets and jeans, watching through the small slits in the wooden door, praying that whoever was home wouldn’t enter this room.

His hopes were dashed as someone came rushing into the attic, throwing the door open as they sobbed openly. At what, he couldn’t guess. They were ripping things out of drawers, scooping things off of shelves, manic, desperate, and almost violent in their movements. Jack peered through the crack in the closet door to try to see who it was. He caught a flash of clothing here, a blur of hair there, but he wasn’t able to get a good look at whoever had come home.

That is, until they threw open the closet and came face-to-face with him.

Jack screamed on instinct, and they screamed as well, stumbling back a few steps, breathing heavily and staring at him with wide brown eyes.

It was a girl about his age, taller than him, with brown skin and long, blonde hair that flowed down her back from under a black toque. There was something very boyish about the rubber fishing boots, jeans, and layered shirts she wore, and for some reason, Jack found himself thinking about how _opposite_ she was to feminine, short, flashy Kimiko. 

He silently prayed this girl wouldn’t hit HALF as hard.

In one hand, she held on to a backpack, half-open and stuffed to bursting with all the things she had packed into it only seconds ago. In the other, she cradled something close to her chest. He couldn’t quite see what it was, but it was most certainly broken, probably beyond repair. Like a deer in headlights, she stood frozen, gawking at him in stunned silence.

Jack swallowed and grinned nervously, wiggling his fingers at her. “Hey…. _you.”_

She didn’t respond, but took another step back, glancing over to the open bedroom door with fearful eyes. Jack could feel himself losing control of the situation, but when he opened his mouth to stutter out an excuse for his presence, his words came to a halt as she caught sight of something on the ground. Her expression changed completely. She dropped her backpack and the broken object she held – a camera – on the bed and snatched something off of the hardwood floor, ignoring Jack as he realized that she had found the photo he had ruined earlier. She unfolded it out of a crumpled-up ball with horrified eyes, before she slowly turned her head to look back at him, no, **glare** back at him, tears of rage beginning to fall down her cheeks as she looked down – 

And saw the Wu he still held in his hand. 

The air between them suddenly became cold and dangerous. 

Jack opened his mouth, trying to speak. “….I can...explain?” he finally croaked out.

He took a step forward, and then it began.

She rushed at him with terrifying speed. He shrieked and moved out of the way only just in time, his ears ringing with the sound of her punching through the wall of the closet – _through the wall, holy crap_ – and scrambled as fast as he could out of the room. He managed to rush down the first flight of stairs and get to the second floor, but her footsteps were close behind, and as he ran down the hallway, he swore he could feel her fingers grabbing at his jacket. Jack made his way down the second staircase, screeching in terror the entire time before hopping over the railing near the bottom and making a beeline for the back door.

A loud sound and a scream behind him caught his attention and he saw that she had tripped over her own feet and landed in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. For a moment, he froze, his heart skipping a beat as he stared at her crumpled body, instinctually waiting for a response.

She finally stirred, groaning in pain, after ten unnerving seconds of silence. He didn’t stop to ask if she was okay, choosing instead to run out the back door and frantically start up the helipack. As he felt the helipack blades begin to whir into motion above him, he jumped up right before he crashed into the fence, launching himself up into the air.

Jack struggled to catch his breath, clutching the Wu tight to his chest as the adrenaline raced through his veins. As he gathered himself, he began to giggle, then laugh, then cackle like a hyena, floating higher into the sky. _“Yes!”_ He pumped his fist in the air, his voice shrill with excitement. “I did it! _I DID IT! **Finally!”**_ He hugged the crown to his chest, beaming with pride. “I can go home a winner, and I can say goodbye to this _stupid_ little stain on the Atlantic Ocean!” He looked down and cupped a hand to his mouth. _“Hey Newfoundland!_ Maybe if you’re lucky, I’ll be back to put you out of your misery when I take over the world!”

Below him, the girl burst out of the back door, holding a hand to her aching head. Her ears perking up at the sound of Jack whooping in delight, she looked up at the sky, wincing through a fresh black eye from her bad fall down the stairs. She watched as Jack begin to disappear into the clouds, still clutching the Wu he had stolen out of her bedroom.

Her eyes widened in horror. “No,” she whispered under her breath, her panic beginning to rise and her breath quickening as she began to chase after him. _“No!”_ she screamed, tears beginning to well up in the corners of her eyes as she hopped the fence. “You can’t! Get back here!”

“Huh?” Jack looked down in surprise, her voice reaching his ears. He watched as she scrambled down the road, past the houses and evergreens, stumbling after him in desperation through the grassy fields as he continued to rise up into the air.

“Get back here!” she screamed, her voice hoarse with exhaustion. “Don’t take that! _Please_ don’t take that! **That’s my-“**

But then he rose up into a cloud, and he couldn’t hear or see her anymore.

Jack gazed down at the spot where she used to be, blinking in confusion, before he smiled and shrugged. “Well, whatever she said, it doesn’t matter now. She's gone, and it's not like I'm gonna ever see her again.” Chuckling to himself, Jack glanced down at the Wu in his hands. It looked even uglier in the broad daylight, but it didn’t matter. It looked absolutely beautiful sitting in his hands.

Jack smirked, eyes glinting with greed as he flew over the clouds to the remote spot where he had parked his jet. “I don’t know what this thing is, and I don’t know what it does, but I do know one thing. It’s mine. _All mine.”_

**“THINK AGAIN!”**

Jack looked up just in time for his face to collide with someone’s fist. Jack clutched at his jaw in pain, the force from the impact causing him to somersault a few times involuntarily, before opening his eyes to look up at Raimundo hovering above him. 

“I should have known,” grumbled Jack, spitting blood out of his mouth as he glared up at the Dragon of Wind. 

Raimundo glared back down at him, his green eyes unusually serious as the air currents around him blew his hair this way and that. **“Let go of the Wu, Jack,”** he demanded in a voice that was all business.

Jack ignored the shivers that ran down his spine and put on a brave face. “Nah,” he said, “I don’t feel like it, today, Pedrosa. Hey, why don’t you try asking me that again later?” He rolled his eyes, his words dripping with sarcasm. “I’m _sure_ I’ll change my mind then.”

“We’re not asking for your permission!” said Raimundo, the air around him blowing a bit more violently as he launched himself upwards. 

Jack watched him fly up into the blue sky above. “'We?'” he pondered out loud, but just then, he noticed a large shadow in the thick wall of clouds to his left. Before he could process what was happening, a humongous dragon with four riders on his back came bursting out of the crowds, twisting his way around Jack as his silvery-white scales glittered in the sun.

 _“Dojo?”_ breathed Jack incredulously. “Is that-? What’s with the new look?!”

Dojo did not answer, but growled dangerously before opening his mouth and breathing out a large plume of thick black soot that left Jack in total darkness. Jack began to cough, gasping for air as he tried to orient himself and find a way out of the dark cloud through watery eyes. He hastily pulled his goggles on and looked around for an exit, but it was already too late.

**“Sword of the Storm!”**

Suddenly, Jack felt himself being sucked downward by strong air currents too powerful to fight, and he spiraled to the Earth below, screaming in terror as the ground came closer and closer at a terrifying speed.

“Got him!” said Rai, putting the Sword behind his back in its sheath before speeding down to follow Jack, Dojo close behind.

Clutching on to Dojo’s back, Omi adjusted the Crystal Glasses on his face. “Dojo, he’s going to land-”

“Already on it kid!” said Dojo as he sped straight down after the teenager. “We gotta move! Now! There is _no way_ we’re going to let the Crown of the Monkey King fall into **Jack Spicer’s** hands!”

Omi, Clay, Kimiko, and Jermaine all nodded as they held on to him - and the Wu they all carried - for dear life as the dragon flew straight down to the earth. Before they left, Master Fung had given them every last Wu they had in the vault in order to complete their mission. Armed to the teeth, each one held on tight to Dojo, bracing themselves for the fight ahead.

Below them, Jack felt himself being blown all the way down to a lonely beach just under the cliff where the Silent Harbor lighthouse stood. He crashed into the ground, listening to the helipack blades whirr to a stop as the pain from the impact resonated throughout his whole body. He pulled himself up, spitting sand out of his mouth as his eyes fell on five long shadows stretching out before him. His head snapped up, and there they were, the Xiaolin Dragons, staring at him with serious, expectant faces, and glancing nervously at the Wu in his hand.

Jack spat once more into the sand, ignoring the taste of iron in his mouth as he pulled himself up on wobbly legs. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the Xiaolin-“

 _“Save it, Spicer!”_ snapped Kimiko, her eyes flashing with anger.

Jack stumbled backwards at the fury in her voice before pointing at her. “J-Jackbots, atta-!” But he fell silent, remembering with a sinking heart that every last Jackbot, even Robojack, was back home in California. _“Oh, no,”_ he whispered, suddenly very much aware at how alone he was.

“Let go of the Wu, Jack,” said Raimundo, unsheathing both the Sword of the Storm and the Blade of the Nebula from behind his back. “I've already said it before, and I'm not gonna say it again.”

“F-finders keepers, Pedrosa!” stuttered Jack, quailing in fear from the sight of the Wu Raimundo held. “I got here first and found it fair and square so _lay off!”_

Raimundo took a step forward, but felt someone stop him. He looked down to see Omi holding onto his arm, gazing up at him with pleading eyes. Raimundo bit his lip before letting out a deep breath and stepping back, and Omi walked up to Jack. To everyone's surprise, he dropped the Orb of Tornami and the Shimo Staff in his arms. Jack watched the Wu fall to the sands, then cocked an eyebrow at Omi. 

“Jack Spicer,” he said softly. “I understand you hold many things against us, against me, but please, _please_ listen to reason! You _must_ surrender the Crown of the Monkey King to us immediately. If you do not, you -“

“Crown of the Monkey King?” Jack interrupted, repeating the name like a foreign word. He looked down at the Wu in his hand with a raised eyebrow. “Is that what this thing is? Uh, okay, whatever.” He shrugged, bringing the Crown up to his face to look at it. “Huh. The Crown of The Monkey King. What does it do - ?”

A large blast of flame flew inches away from his face, singeing the edges of his hair, and Jack shrieked and stumbled over his feet, clutching the Wu like a safety blanket.

“Jack, you freak, we are NOT playing games!” Kimiko lowered the Star Hanabi, flames beginning to lick at her skin from her rising anger. “Give us the Wu before things start to get REALLY painful, REALLY fast! I am NOT firing another warning shot! _Not today!”_

“Spicer, don’t make this any harder than it has to be,” said Clay, stepping forward with a solemn look on his face. His hand tightened on the Lasso Boa Boa. “Give us the Wu and head on home. We don’t have to fight.”

Jack looked him up and down with disgust. “I don’t negotiate with the enemy,” he spat bitterly, holding the Crown tight to his chest.

“Liar!” shouted Kimiko, stepping forward as the flames rose up and swallowed her completely. “You do it all the time when it suits you!”

“PLEASE, Jack,” begged Omi, taking another step forward. “We are only trying to help!”

“I don’t need any help from a pretentious runt like you!” said Jack, and a look of genuine hurt flickered over Omi’s face, filling Jack’s memory with unwanted memories of the smell of tea and the loss of his favorite Wu-

“HEY!” said Jermaine, speaking for the first time as he pushed past Clay and marched up to Jack with fiery eyes. “Lay off, man! He’s just trying to protect you!”

“What the-?!” Jack stared at him, blinking in recognition and lowering the Crown from his chest. “Jermaine? What are _you_ doing here?!”

“Mind your business, Spicer, and just give us the Wu! Don't make me say it again!” said Jermaine, raising the Golden Tiger Claws at Jack threateningly, causing the redhead to gulp at how close they were to his throat. 

“We are NOT leaving here without it!” shouted Dojo, curled around Jermaine’s neck like a scarf. “Do you hear me?! You either leave the Wu with us, or you don’t leave here at all!”

“Well, too bad,” said Jack, glaring at the both of them. “I'm not giving it up anytime soon, so take a hike before….before…”

Jack’s voice faltered as the Wu he held began to glow with an all-too familiar light, and the magic that hummed through the metal started to resonate in Jack’s chest.

“…..What?” Jack looked around, trying to understand what was happening before his eyes fell on something in the sand. An unfamiliar set of footprints had appeared without him even noticing and ended right next to his own. He looked to his right, confused, and Raimundo slowly came into view as he pulled the Shroud of Shadows off of his head, glaring at him and tightening his own grip on the Crown.

“For the record,” Raimundo said, his voice echoing with tranquil fury, “We gave you a chance to back down.”

Jack stared incredulously at him, his shock bleeding away into anger as he realized he had used the others as a distraction. _“Are you ever going to use another trick?!”_ he screamed, his face turning red.

 _“Are you ever gonna stop falling for this one?!”_ shouted Raimundo, his frustration getting the better of him as he brought his face close to Jack’s.

“Tch.” Jack’s whole body tensed at the realization of what was about to happen, and he looked Raimundo dead in the eye, getting ready for a fight. “Guess I got no other choice. Raimundo, I challenge you to - “

At that moment, something – or someone – flew at Jack from the side and tackled him hard, cutting his sentence short and sending him flying across the sand. The Wu, still held tightly in his hand, stopped glowing, the Showdown canceled before it could even begin. Jack coughed and groaned at the pain in his ribs, and slowly came to realize that something heavy was on his chest, keeping him from getting up.

Raimundo’s voice cut through the haze. “What the-?! _Who are you?!”_

Jack’s vision slowly unblurred, and he found himself looking up into a pair of very familiar, very **angry** brown eyes, the left now half hidden under a swollen and purple bruise.

 _ **“You,”**_ said the girl from before, her teeth clenched in rage as she pinned him to the ground.

“Oh,” said Jack weakly. “You found me.” His mouth quirked up in a nervous grin. _“Yaaaaay.”_

His words made something in the girl snap, her pupils shrinking until they were barely visible. A second later, the two were rolling around on the sand, Jack desperately trying to defend himself and shrieking in pain while the girl punched, kicked, slapped and scratched at him with as much force as she could muster. 

Everyone else was at a loss for words. All of them were completely dumbstruck as they watched the scene unfold before them in utter confusion. 

Clay was the first to react. He rushed to intervene, pulling the girl off of a bruised Jack with more effort than he expected. Jack struggled to steady himself, his arms wobbly as he lifted himself off the ground only to flop back on the sand again, blood dripping from his nose. The girl didn’t let up, and kept trying to worm her way out of Clay’s grasp, still reaching for the dazed redhead on the ground. **“I’ll kill you!”** she screamed, swiping at him and causing the others to cringe at the hatred in her voice. **“You’re gonna be sorry for breaking into my house, you _skeet!”_**

“Hey, now, come on!” pleaded Clay as she kicked and squirmed in his arms. He tried to restrain her as much as he could, being careful not to hurt her in the process. “Little lady, I know Spicer’s a lowdown varmint, but ya gotta calm down!”

She yelled something back at him, her voice too warped by rage for her words to be coherent. Something in her tone gave him the feeling it wasn’t anything remotely cooperative or suitable for polite company. 

Suddenly Raimundo was there too. “Yo, take it easy, girl!” He managed to grab her by the shoulders, forcing her to look straight into his eyes as he spoke to her in his calmest ‘leader’ voice. “Deep breaths, alright? Deep breaths.”

“Are you okay?” asked Kimiko, who had made her way over to them, Omi, Jermaine and Dojo close behind. She caught sight of the girl’s fresh black eye, narrowing her eyes in concern. “Did _Jack_ do this to you?…Wait,” she said, the girl’s words from earlier coming back to her. _“Did he break into your house?!”_

The girl said nothing, catching her breath as she looked around at them warily, eyes wild. She tried again to tug her way out of Clay’s arms, but he held fast. _“Easy now,”_ he said gently. “We ain’t gonna hurt ya.”

“Psst. Omi.” Jermaine nudged the shorter boy gently, catching his eye and nodding at the girl in Clay’s grip. “Do your thing.” He gestured with his hands. “You know, the ice thing? It'll help with the swelling.”

“Hmm? Oh! Yes.” Omi stepped forward, raising his arm. From behind him, a strand of ocean water flew up and into his hand, and the girl stopped struggling, her jaw dropping as she realized what she was seeing. The water turned into a snowball in front of her eyes, and Omi held it out to her. “Here,” he said with a comforting smile, passing it gently into her hand. “This will ease the pain.”

The girl looked down at the snowball as if he had passed her a bar of solid gold. She glanced back up at his sincere smile, and her breath steadied as she began to notice all the eyes that were now on her. Slowly coming to her senses, her face turned tomato-red and she looked down at her boots, pulling the snowball up to her chest stiffly. “…T-thank you,” she muttered, glancing at Omi for half a second before awkwardly looking back down at the sand.

Jermaine cleared his throat. “You..you good?” he asked nervously. 

“I…u-um,” she stuttered in a small voice, but that was all that she could get out of her mouth.

Satisfied that she had calmed down, Clay finally loosened his grip on her, and as the girl bashfully tucked her hair behind her ear and stepped away from him, he finally got a good look at her face.

His breath hitched at the sight of her injured eye.

The other Dragons took no notice, asking the girl how she was feeling, why she was upset, trying to get the full story as she pressed the snowball to her bad eye and avoided their gaze. They did not see Clay’s shoulders beginning to move as his breath became uneven, or his expression darkening as the ground underneath everyone’s feet began to rumble faintly. 

They all fell silent when the rumbling became so intense, the pebbles on the beach begin to bounce and rattle on the trembling ground. _“...Clay?”_ asked Raimundo, a sinking feeling in his gut as he finally noticed the look on his friend’s face.

But Clay didn’t even hear him.

 _“Spicer.”_ The Dragon of Earth hissed the name through gritted teeth, his voice rough and jagged like the ground after an earthquake. _**“SPICER.**_ You…you _**no-good, dirty, rotten, son of a-”**_ He spat out a very uncharacteristic curse that made the other Xiaolin Warrior’s eyes widen in disbelief. The girl with the black eye took a few steps back from Clay in fear, dropping the snowball as she slowly realized that _he_ was the one making the ground shake. The usually peaceful Dragon of the Earth snarled in anger like an outraged bull, whirling around to face Jack. _**“You lawless, godforsaken-!”**_

His words came to a halt when he realized that Jack, in the midst of all the chaos, had gotten back up on his feet and had been slowly backing away from all of them. The Crown was still in his hand, and with his other hand he fumbled with the controls of his helipack, trying to get it to work. He had not yet noticed he had been discovered. “Come on, come ON!” Jack muttered, beginning to punch the helipack’s controls out of sheer frustration. _“Work!”_

Clay’s mouth stretched into a thin line, his eyes hardening. _**“You ain’t goin’ nowhere.”**_

“Yo, Clay-“ started Jermaine, but it was too late. With the fluid confidence of a man beyond mercy, Clay shifted into a fighting stance. “Seismic Kick! **EARTH!”**

Jack looked up at the sound of Clay’s voice just in time to get blasted off of his feet by a shockwave that sent him flying back, landing in the sand face first. He pushed himself up onto his knees, but the sound of cracking, shifting earth coming up behind him triggered his instincts, and he rolled over just in time to dodge a long line of spikes bursting out of the sand. He got to his feet and ran, screaming, still holding on to the Crown.

“Clay?!” cried Kimiko, but her words fell on deaf ears as Clay summoned the earth underneath him and rode it like a wave past her and the other teens on the beach.

 _ **“Come back here!”**_ he shouted, sending another series of spikes to chase after the terrified Jack Spicer. _**“I said, come back here and FIGHT, you dirty coward!”**_

 _“Clay, stop!”_ shouted Omi. Grabbing the Orb of Tornami and the Shimo Staff from the ground, he jumped off of a nearby rock into the ocean, riding a wave after his enraged comrade.

Jermaine began to chase after him, but Raimundo held his arm out to stop him. “Stay back! You’ll get hurt!” He opened his mouth to say more, but caught sight of the girl with the black eye, shaking in fear as she watched Clay chase after Jack. She stumbled backwards as Clay sent out another shockwave, but Kimiko caught her before she fell, soothing her with kind words.

“Jermaine,” said Raimundo, looking back at his friend. “Stay out of the way, and keep that girl safe! Dojo,” he added, looking at the little dragon still wrapped around Jermaine's neck, "Stay with them in case things get worse! We have our elements, we'll be fine!"

"You got it, Rai!" said Dojo as another tremor caused him to hold on tighter to Jermaine's shirt. The girl looked to see where the unfamiliar voice was coming from, and her face paled a little at the sight of Dojo curled up on Jermaine's shoulders. "You're a dragon," she said, pointing at Dojo, who blinked back at her as he remembered she was there. "You're a dragon, you're a dragon, **you're a _dra-!"_**

Jermaine took the girl’s hand, struggling to stand on the unsteady ground under their feet. “Come on, kid! Let’s go!”

“Wha...Wait,” she said, looking back at him. “Wait, we can't, that boy with the goggles, he’s got my-!“

“There’s no time!” Jermaine interrupted. _“We gotta move!”_ Gripping her hand tight, he raised the Wu he held to the sky. **"Golden Tiger Claws!"**

The Wu glimmered as he ripped open a portal through the air and pulled the girl through it, disappearing from sight. Raimundo raised his hands and summoned a strong wind, and as it lifted him up, he called out to Kimiko. “We gotta stop Clay before he causes an earthquake!”

“Right!” shouted Kimiko. Leaping into the air, she jumped onto his back and together the two flew up into the sky.

Up ahead, Jack continued to run, his lungs on fire and his legs crying out in pain as he desperately tried to escape.

But it was a mistake to ever think he could outrun the ground under his feet.

Without warning, spires of rock rose out of the ground a few yards in front of him like a row of giant's teeth, forcing him to skid to a stop. He backed away from them, trying to catch his breath, looking around for another exit-

**"Lasso Boa Boa!"**

Jack felt something tighten around him, pinning his arms to his sides and briefly crushing the air out of his lungs as it constricted like a python. He yelled as he was pulled to the ground, being dragged backwards and struggling to free himself as his face scraped up against the mud - 

....The mud?

Jack opened his eyes. The sand underneath him had turned into thick, dark mud. Then, it shifted into pale quicksand, black tar, rich soil, dark grey gravel, then sand, then mud again, and it happened so fast he thought he was seeing things. But as the earth itself kept glitching out beneath him, he turned to look back and saw Clay pulling him back with the Lasso, his heart jumping out of his chest at the unmasked rage in the cowboy's bright blue eyes.

Clay stopped for a moment and threw his precious cowboy hat, his most valued possession, down to the ground in frustration, and Jack’s stomach sank in horror at the realization of just how **screwed** he was. 

“I’ve had enough of you, Spicer! You hear me?!" Clay yanked him back with more and more force as he began to rant. “Where do you get off hurting people that ain’t got nothing to do with Xiaolin or Heylin business? What do you get out of destroying innocent people’s things! Their homes! THEIR _LIVES! **OUR. LIVES!”**_

Finally, Jack felt himself being pulled into Clay's arms, and the Dragon of Earth pulled him close and began to scream in his face, the ground beneath them starting to rumble more violently than ever before.

“You flooded my ranch! You kidnapped Kimiko and locked her up in a cage! You helped Wuya brainwash Raimundo during the Heylin Comet! You stabbed Omi in the back when he gave you a chance at being good! You stabbed ALL of us in the back, over and over and OVER! And that ain’t even touching on _any_ of the nonsense and trouble you’ve caused for other folks all over the world!” Clay shook him so hard, Jack felt the teeth rattle around in his mouth. “That old man in Istanbul – you wrecked his tea-shop! The only way he had to make money! **Did you even say ‘sorry’?! Did you even CARE?!”**

From the ocean nearby, Omi stood on the surface of the moving waters, keeping himself steady. "Clay," he pleaded, “Please desist! I do not wish to fight you!”

Clay did not answer. Omi took a deep breath, forcing himself to do what came next. **"Orb of Tornami! Water!".** A giant wave rushed past him and started to come at the two boys standing on the beach. But before it could get close, a great wall of earth rose out of the ground, causing the water to flow around Clay and Jack without consequence.

__

__

From up above, Raimundo and Kimiko descended on the scene. “Clay, _knock it off!”_ called Kimiko, holding the Star Hanabi up and sending a few blasts down, never once aiming for her comrade, but at the sand around him. But every single blast was blocked off by more pillars of earth rising out of the ground, Clay never once taking his eyes off of Jack as they did.

Raimundo looked back at her, and she immediately stopped, holding on tight to Raimundo as he raised his arms and sent a great gust of wind down to blow Clay off his feet. **“Clay, STOP! That’s an ORDER!”**

But then, a great dome of earth enveloped the two boys, and the other Three Dragons could see them no more.

Jack looked around, unable to see anything in the pitch blackness, his panic rising. But then he felt himself being slammed up against the walls of the dome so hard, stars filled his vision.

Clay tightened his grip on the scruff of Jack's shirt and let out a long breath. The ground stopped shaking and crystals began to form on the walls of the dome, slowly illuminating the two boys in a faint green light. Clay brought his face close to Jack’s, his voice suddenly very quiet as the teenager woozily met his eyes.

“I’ve known you for years, Jack Spicer, and every day I see you, I think to myself, 'You can’t get any lower. You can’t get any more pathetic than y’all already are.'” Clay's frowned deepened. “And every day I see you, you prove me wrong.”

Jack stared up at him, breathing heavily, but said nothing.

Clay was silent for a moment before he let out a deep breath through his nose and brought up his hand. Sand from below began to swirl around it, shifting and hardening until it was covered in a thick layer of rock.

“As far as I reckon,” Clay said, balling his hand in a fist, “This was a long time comin.’”

Jack stared at him through half-conscious eyes, then at Clay's fist, then back at Clay again. His hazy expression hardened into raw disdain. **_“….You can’t be serious.”_**

Clay's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but then something bright and blue caught his eye from below. Before he could look down, a terrible wave of shock and pain went through his body. He screamed out in agony as Jack pressed the Shock Glove to his chest and held fast, bright blue sparks of electricity crackling all over Clay's convulsing body. Jack grit his teeth and upped the voltage, and soon Clay was blasted backwards, stumbling around before falling onto his knees and onto the soft sand.

Jack breathed heavily, never taking his eyes off Clay as the walls around him began to crumble away, daylight flooding his vision once more. As the dust cleared, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Omi's hearts fell when they saw their teammate's body lying motionless on the sand. _“Clay!”_ they cried, as they ran over waves and dropped out of the sky.

They rushed to his side, kneeling beside him. "Clay..." Kimiko whispered, her throat tight. Beside her, Omi could't bring himself to speak. Raimundo involuntarily teared up at the sight of his old friend lying still and silent on the ground, his breaths shallow. His voice cracked as he shook his shoulder. "Come on, dude, get up!"

Slowly, painfully, Clay began to respond. He groaned as he pushed himself up and got to one knee, and all three other Dragons immediately began to help him up. Behind them, Jack Spicer began to speak, ignoring the heated glares from Raimundo and Kimiko. _“This_ is it? THIS is the straw that broke the Dragon’s back?!" He shook his head in dissatisfaction. "You know, I actually expected this! Mr. ‘I Don’t Hit Girls’, Mr. _‘Nice,’_ Mr. _‘Southern Gentleman.’_ " he mocked mercilessly. "There’s no way someone could be _soooooo_ **‘patient’** without there being consequences in the end. I **knew** one of these days you were just gonna break, but are you SERIOUSLY blowing up over a stranger you just met? What do you care?! _You don’t even know her!”_

“That ain’t….the point.”

Jack stopped mid-rant at the sound of a familiar Southern drawl. He watched as Clay shakily took a step forward. He stumbled, and Kimiko, Omi and Raimundo immediately ran to hold him up until he was steady again. Clay shook his head, his breaths still uneven and his voice hoarse. “It don’t matter WHO it is, or what they’ve done, or how long you’ve known them or IF you know them at all," said Clay weakly, coughing between every other word. _"No one needs to get hurt._ I don’t understand," he breathed, looking up at Jack and shaking his head again. "How…how can you _live_ with yourself, hurtin’ everyone around you like you do? What about honor? What about human gotdang decency?”

“Yeah?" Jack sneered at him in disgust, leaning forward. _"What about it, cowboy?”_

Clay stared at him blankly before roaring and lunging forward - but he stumbled over his own wobbly legs and fell onto the sand again, Jack instinctively stepping back out of fear with a squeak.

“Clay, that’s enough!” cried Kimiko, her heart breaking at the sight as she clung onto her friend's arm to pull him up. Clay didn't listen, struggling to escape her grasp and move at Jack again as he got up. From his other side, Omi latched on as tightly as he could, trying to hold him back. “Clay, please stop!” he begged, feeling himself being dragged through the sand.

Clay ignored them both, spitting at Jack's feet and glaring at him with bright, furious eyes. **“You’re a mistake, Jack Spicer, _and that’s all you’ll ever be!”_**

Raimundo dropped down in front of him and held him by the shoulders, angry tears falling down his face. **“CLAY! _ENOUGH!”_**

Clay stared into Raimundo's eyes for a long time, his expression softening from pure rage into realization. He began to come back to himself, his breath evening out as he looked around, then down at himself in horror at his own actions. _"Lord...."_

Kimiko patted his arm comfortingly, sighing deeply, and Omi hugged him tightly from the side, beyond relieved that the Dragon of Earth had finally calmed down. Raimundo stepped back, and turned to face Jack, ready to scream, ready to throw down. - 

But he froze at the expression on Jack's face.

Jack blinked at him, caught off-guard by the sudden eye contact before hastily wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes, his face twisting into one of rage and malice. "All right, Clay," he growled, all cowardice in his voice gone. "You want a fight? You REALLY want a fight?! **FINE! You got it!"** He whipped off his goggles and threw them to the ground far away from them, causing them to crack as the bounced off a rock and landed in a tide pool. The Wu was still in his hand, and he held it high over his head. **"It’s your LUCKY day!”**

 _“JACK!"_ Omi screamed, realizing what was about to happen. _"NO!”_

Jack ignored him completely, and jammed the Wu on his head, eyes bright with anger as he screamed out into the sky. **_“CROWN OF THE MONKEY KING!”_**

\----------------

His scream echoed loudly throughout the entire beach, and all the way up to the cliff where Jermaine had taken cover with the strange girl from earlier.

She was sitting next to him on the grass and peering anxiously over the rocky cliff, the shadow of the lighthouse behind her looming over them all in the light of mid-afternoon. Despite the distance between her and Jack down below on the beach, she had heard his cry perfectly clear. They all had. Dojo, curled around Jermaine's shoulders, trembled at the sound. "No," the little dragon whispered, holding his claws to his mouth.

Jermaine swallowed nervously, subconsciously touching the Golden Tiger Claws still on his hand and keeping his eyes on the scene below. His focus began to wane as he realized, with a chill down his spine, that the world around him had grown eerily quiet. The seagulls crying overhead, the waves crashing on the rocks, the wind blowing through the grasses and the trees - those sounds were all gone. Everything around them had become unnaturally silent. It was as if the world had suddenly had its volume turned all the way down. Dojo and the girl had noticed as well, looking around them as the silence became so intense, their ears began to ring.

"What's going on?" asked Jermaine, looking down at Dojo.

**"AAAH!"**

Jermaine whirled around at the sound of the girl's scream. She had jumped to her feet, looking at something on the ground in utter fear. Jermaine looked down to see, and saw that the grass underneath her boots was shriveling up, turning black, then disintegrating into bits of ash and dust that slowly began to float upwards, like dust underwater. Jermaine got up as well with a surprised shout and looked all around them, realizing that it was happening to all of the plants and greenery around them. All of the trees, the grass, the wildflowers, the mosses and the vines that surrounded them were slowly, silently curling into themselves and decaying. The beautiful summer meadow was rotting away before their eyes.

Dojo began to shake his head slowly at the sight, then hopped off of Jermaine's shoulder and to the edge of the cliff. **“K-kids!"** he called to the Dragons, his voice shrill in panic. **"You get away from there! Get back here!”**

Down below, the Dragons paid no attention to him, staring at the odd scene before them with wariness and confusion. Raimundo tilted his head, his anger from earlier cooling down into concern. _“Jack?_ ”

Jack didn't answer, and in fact, he didn't even move. He stood there, glaring at them, the way he had been for some time now, ever since he had put the Crown on his head and invoked name. He didn't blink, he didn't acknowledge that they were there, and he didn't even breathe. He just stood there, frozen, like a furious statue, staring out at them. Staring out at nothing.

It was unnerving.

"Something's wrong," Kimiko whispered under her breath. "I...I-I don't like this." Next to her, she heard someone move, and she turned to see that Omi was walking foward. "Omi, don't!"she cried, reaching out after him.

Omi didn't listen, and cautiously moved forward to Jack Spicer's motionless body. Jack didn't react in any visible way, and from up above, Dojo began to panic as he crept closer and closer.

 **“Get back here now!"** he screamed, the fear in his voice beginning to affect the two teenagers behind him. **"Right now, all of you, _do you hear me?!”_**

But Omi was in front of Jack. He reached out to touch him, his eyebrows knitted together in worry. “…..Jack - ?“

The second before his hand reached Jack's, all Hell broke loose.

A blast of pure energy blew Omi backwards, like the winds that blew from a tornado. Clay caught him, but felt himself being blown back a few steps as power began to flood out of Jack's body like an invisible dam had broken apart from within him. Up above, the sky began to darken with gathering storm clouds as the energy blasted upwards. Jermaine grabbed the girl next to him and turned himself around to shield her from the force of it all as Dojo grew to his greatest size and flew down to the Dragons below, curling around them into a wall to protect them. He held himself fast, opening one eye to see Jack beginning to float upwards like a lifeless puppet on a string. _"Not again..."_

Up on the cliff, the girl had her head buried in Jermaine's shoulder, but she opened her eyes and moved back in fear as Jack rose higher and higher into the sky, limp and motionless. The Crown on his head began to change from ugly darkened rusted metal to the purest gold, and it glowed like a halo as Jack's eyes rolled up into his head until only white showed. He began to tilt his head back, and as his mouth opened, light began to pour out of it, until a column of golden light shot out of his mouth and up into the sky. Jermaine and the girl looked up at him in horror, and so did everyone else down below on the beach, holding their hands to their mouths and feeling their blood run cold.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the golden light faded away, and Jack's mouth closed as his head returned to a normal position. He slowly turned to look down at the Xiaolin Dragons on the beach with blank, white eyes, and opened his mouth to speak.

****

#  **"Hello, Xiaolin Losers."**

Everyone took a step back at the sound of his voice. Jack tilted his head at them curiously.

****

#  **“You want a fight?”**

He raised his hands, and they began to glow with a pure, golden energy as he pointed them at the teenagers gazing up at him in fear.

****

#  **_“You got it.”_**

"MOVE!" cried Raimundo, and faster than lightning, his team leapt onto Dojo's back as the dragon flew upwards just in time to avoid a blast of energy that turned the sand they had been standing on to glass. They flew higher up into the air than Jack, disappearing into the dark clouds above. Jack watched them leave calmly, tilting his head in amusement. Unperturbed by this turn of events, he smiled, his grin stretching out until it was almost too big for his face. 

#  **"Running away again, Dojo? Heh. Ha ha ha. That's _cute."_**

Beginning to chuckle darkly, he lifted a hand to his mouth and kissed it.

****

#  **"Look alive, sunshine."**

In his hand, a ball of energy began to form, a small star in his palm. He turned around to face the lighthouse, ignoring Jermaine and the girl down below as he gently blew the energy ball right at it.

****

#  **“It‘s your lucky day.“**

Below him, Jermaine and the girl watched as the ball flew right into the lighthouse, the entire structure glowing bright gold for a moment as it soaked in the energy. Then, as it stopped glowing, cracks began to form in the bricks, spiderwebbing across each other as paint began to chip off the walls and rust began to eat at the iron railing. The lighthouse began to groan like an injured beast as it broke apart, piece by piece, iron and wood fracturing and causing rubble and debris to rain down on the teenagers below. The girl stood there frozen, tears at the corners of her eyes as she watched the oldest inhabitant of Silent Harbor falling apart. She wanted to move, but somehow, she couldn't, even though the chunks of wood and brick were coming closer and closer - 

**“Look out!"**

She felt Jermaine before she saw him, his arm tight around her waist, and heard the sound of him ripping another hole in reality and pushing her through it just in time to evade a large piece of sheet metal that very well could have split her in half had she still been standing there. Light, shadows, falling and flying, and then she found herself on a hill right near the beach, hiding behind a rock.

"Are you okay?!" Jermaine held her by the shoulders, eyes searching her for injuries. 

"I'm not crazy," she muttered under her breath, her eyes wide and unfocused. "I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy, _I'm not crazy..."_

"Kid!" Jermaine shook her lightly by the shoulders, trying to snap her out of it. " _Kid!_ "

"S-Stop," she murmured, only half-aware that she said it. "Stop!"

Before he knew what was happening, she wrestled out of Jermaine's grip and began to walk towards Jack. "Stop it!" she cried, her eyes blazing with worry and determination. "You leave him alone!"

"Hold up!" Jermaine cried, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her back. "You can't do that," he shouted, his voice breaking with worry. "You're gonna get hurt!"

"But who else is going to help him?!" she asked, her eyes beginning to tear up as she stared at Jermaine.

Jermaine didn't answer, but looked up at the clouds above, catching sight of a great white dragon dancing in and out of the expanse of grey over their heads.

In the clouds, the Xiaolin Dragons watched as the lighthouse came crashing down, pieces of the old structure littering the beach below. Raimundo tightened his hold on Dojo's back. “Dojo, what do we do?!”

“The Crown needs a host to work!" said the dragon, as he moved in and out of the clouds to keep Jack from knowing where'd they come from next. "Take the host out and get the Crown off his head!”

“I’ll go after him!" Raimundo looked behind him. "Clay, Omi, distract Jack! Do whatever it takes! Kimiko, you keep Jack from leaving the beach! If he goes into town - !”

“I won’t let that happen!” said Kimiko, her eyes burning bright with resolve. "No one's getting hurt on my watch!"

"All right! Let's go!" yelled Raimundo, and Dojo sped off towards the beach, bracing himself for a fight.

The second he left the safety of the clouds, a blast of golden light shot out and hit Dojo square in the chest. He flickered like a dying flame, and the Dragons screamed as he began to shimmer in and out of his smaller form. But their cries gave Dojo just enough strength to muster his courage and hold himself together until he got them where they needed to go. From his back, Omi, Raimundo and Clay jumped off, one by one, into the sea, into the air, onto the beach. Kimiko was the last to disembark, closing her eyes and letting the storm within her mind clear in absolute focus. She jumped into the air, towards the grassy hills - 

**"FIRE!"**

She changed into flames mid-air, and hit the ground with no consequence at all. Feeding off of the dry, blackened grass, she streaked through the fields, creating a great wall of fire and blocking Jack off from the town beyond the cliff. Dojo watched her burn, a beautiful orange ring of light that lit up the darkened sky, until he finally lost his strength and crashed into the beach, eyelids fluttering as he fell unconscious and shrank back to his usual size. "Kids...good luck..."

On the beach, and from the water, Clay and Omi gave it all the got, assaulting Jack from every possible angle with all the Wu they held, with all their strength, waves and chunks of rock crashing this way and that. Jack dodged it all effortlessly, retaliating with attacks of his own with a calm, somewhat bored grace. Meanwhile, Raimundo rode the air currents, looking for an opening and waiting for the right time to make his move.

Jack watched Omi and Clay attacking him from below with a soft, nostalgic smile. He sighed deeply, tutting and shaking his head like a doting parent at his rambunctious children, crossing his arms.

#  **"Ah, you kids. So many centuries since we last saw each other, so much time to practice, and yet...you're still so _weak."_**

He brought his hands together in a strange pose, like he was meditating, or praying, his eyes closing peacefully.

#  **"Here. Let Daddy show you how it's done."**

His body began to glow again, and he shone like a newborn sun before a wave of light washed out from his body in a perfect circle. It rippled throughout the beach, blindingly bright and utterly devastating. Clay summoned a huge wall of earth as a shield just in time, but Omi, who had been riding a wave to close in on Jack, was hit by it.

**"OMI!"**

Clay watched him fall and immediately summoned spires out of the earth as stepping stones, rushing to catch him. He leapt up and caught the little monk seconds before Omi's body hit a cluster of sharp, unforgiving rocks by the shore. Breathing heavily, Clay looked around, not noticing that the Shimo Staff in Omi's hand had begun to hover in mid-air, shifting into a large, evil-looking hammer. Clay turned to face Omi again, only for the Staff to move on its own and knock him out cold, a loud cracking sound echoing throughout the beach as the Staff came in contact with Clay's skull. The Dragons of Water and Earth lay there on the sand together, far too quiet and far too still.

In the distance, Kimiko, once a powerful grassfire, began to flicker and fade, changing from orange and red to an unnatural shade of gold. She grew smaller, and smaller, until suddenly there was nothing left of her but a tiny little flame, eating away at a dead blueberry bush.

Jack opened his eyes and surveyed the scene, admiring his work with pride.

But then a fist flew up from below, and suddenly Jack, caught by surprise and hit head-on, hurtled to the sands like a fallen bird from the force of Raimundo's uppercut.

“Jack!” called Raimundo, watching as he hit the ground _hard_ , and he flew as fast as he could to the redhead's body. He stumbled over himself as he crouched over Jack, shaking him, fear rising in his throat as he tried to bring him back to his senses. “Jack! Snap out of it! **Jack! _Can you hear me?!”_**

The Crown shone gold again, and an unseen force blasted Raimundo away, sending him into a cliff wall hard enough to make tears come to his eyes. He slid down the rock, watching as something began to pull Jack up to his feet. Jack's eyes slowly opened, and he turned to Raimundo with a white, empty stare.

#  **"I can hear you just fine, _Alizeh."_**

Raimundo blinked in confusion at the unfamiliar name, tasting blood on his lips. Jack noticed his reaction, and he snorted, smiling without any kindness at all as he walked through the sand towards Raimundo. Raimundo edged away, terrified, and Jack held his arms out like he was greeting an old friend. 

#  **"Aww, what's with that face? Did you think I wouldn't recognize you after so long? Did you think I'd _forget?"_**

His smile fell and something inside of him seemed to break as his face filled with unbridled hatred. His lip curled, his incisors razor sharp.

#  **"I'll never forget."**

Before Raimundo knew what was happening, he felt a pair of unnaturally strong hands at his throat, squeezing the life and the air out of him as they pulled him close, until he was eye-to-eye with whatever was inside Jack.

#  **_"I will **always** remember what you did to me!"_**

Raimundo kicked and punched and scratched with no success, and when his vision began to fade, that's when he knew that he had to do it. _“I’m sorry, Spicer,"_ he choked out, _"But you’re not giving me much of a choice!”_

With the last of his strength, Raimundo called the wind, and it came running. A breeze began to wind itself around Jack's head, faster and faster, until an orb had formed and a vacuum inside was created. Jack - or the thing that was inside Jack - began to panic as he realized that there was no air to breathe. He held fast for as long as he could, but soon his grip on Raimundo's throat had begun to weaken, and the second it did, Raimundo pried his hands off of his throat and breathed in lungfuls of sweet, beautiful air. He reached out to grab Jack's jacket and headbutted him as hard as he could, hard enough for his forehead to start bleeding. Jack stumbled backwards, woozy and unable to protect himself as Raimundo whirled around and landed one final kick. Jack flopped over into the sand. His eyes turned red once more, and fluttered shut. The Crown around his head stopped glowing, but remained a shining gold. He was out like a light.

Raimundo stood there, catching his breath, his body sagging with relief. “….It’s over.”

He stepped forward, but a creaking sound from above caught his attention. Raimundo looked up, and everything went black.

\-----------------

The first thing he noticed was the smell of the ocean. The second thing he noticed was the terrible pain in his head and in his side.

Eyes fluttering open, Jack Spicer slowly and painfully pulled himself up, holding his head in his hands. “Ugh…what….what happened?" Wincing at the feeling of multiple bruises all over his body, he began to look around, seeing the sand and the sea of Newfoundland. "That's right," he said, his words slurring slightly. "I was...Huh?" 

Jack's eyes widened at what was only a few feet away from him. A large chunk of a building had fallen to the ground. Jack realized with a sinking feeling in his gut as he saw a hand sticking out from beneath the mess, it had crashed on top of someone. He scrambled backwards in the sand and screamed at the sight, hyperventilating and shivering in fear until he realized that the person crushed under the wood was wearing very familiar black robes.

His heart skipped a beat.

"W-what’s going on?!" Jack cried, speaking to no one in particular as he got up off his feet and began to inch closer. His panic rose as he reached out to check for a pulse or signs of breathing. "Hey! **Pedrosa?! _Raimun-?!”_**

_**“Get away from him!”** _

Something rushed at Jack from the side and he felt himself get thrown back into the sand. He cried out in pain, looking around for the perpetrator, until he made eye contact with a pair of dark eyes, wide with anger and bright with tears. "Jermaine?" he asked, pulling himself up to his feet again. He looked past him at the girl with the black eye, standing a few feet away and staring at him with unmasked fear. "What happened?" Jack began to look around at the state of the beach, his face growing pale as he saw Omi and Clay lying motionless by the shore, the sand that had been turned to glass, the great white dragon lying unconscious in a small crater, and the bits and pieces of the lighthouse littered all around and floating in the nearby waters. He looked at them, starting to panic. "W-what happened to the bea-?!" 

“Back off!” screamed Jermaine, trying to shield Raimundo from Jack.

“What are you talking about?!" screeched Jack. "I-I didn’t do _any-!”_

 ** _“I said BACK OFF!"_** Jermaine raised his arm, beyond logic, beyond fear. **"Golden Tiger Claws!”**

The Golden Tiger claws gleamed in recognition at their name. And they did not stop.

The light that came from them grew brighter and brighter, until it almost blinded them and they could not look directly at it without tearing up. Jermaine began to wince in pain as the light from the Claws started to burn his skin like a hot iron, and he began to scream out in agony, desperately trying to pry them off. But the Claws held fast, and what's more, they began to vibrate, trembling with power that they could barely contain, causing Jermaine's teeth to start chattering. Suddenly, they pulled Jermaine up into the air a few feet off the ground. Tearing up from the pain and still trying to free himself, Jermaine looked up, his face paling as Chinese characters began to appear all the way down his arm, moving slowly just beneath his skin and glowing like a sunrise. And then, before he could speak or scream or do anything at all to react, the Golden Tiger Claws moved on their own and tore open a portal through the air.

It wasn't the same lavender shimmer of shadows and light.

A great white void shone before them, more light pouring out of it, blinding and intrusive. Jack blinked, trying to get the spots out of his eyes as he looked at the strange portal, and what was coming out of it. Long white arms began to reach out of the portal, first a few, then several, reaching out and trying to grab a hold of whatever they could, however they could. The three teenagers looked on in terror, and Jack began to scream, scrambling away for safety. But an arm caught him by the leg and began to drag him into the void.

“Hey!" Jack cried, clawing at the sand to try to get free. "L-l-let me go!" But it did no good, and a few more arms clamped onto his arm, his waist, his other leg. Jack looked around frantically, and saw Jermaine watching with wide eyes. "JERMAINE, HELP! _PLEASE!”_

Jermaine snapped into action, all anger and hatred from before evaporating as he listened to his instincts and rushed to the rescue. "Hold on!" he shouted as he frantically latched onto Jack's arms.

"Don't let go!"

"I won't!" Gritting his teeth from the effort, Jermaine began to try to pull Jack out of the grip of the ghostly arms, but soon, he felt himself being dragged through the sand. Other arms began to grab ahold of him as well, and soon the both of them were headed into the portal.

“No!”

Jermaine felt someone grab onto him from behind, and he looked back to see that the girl had wrapped her arms around him, trying to hold him back. “I got you!” she cried, desperately trying to muster all her strength to get him loose. But even as she shut her eyes and tried to take a step back, Jack disappeared into the portal with a terrified shriek. Jermaine watched as his arms began to enter the void, and he looked around for someone, anyone, to help. He caught sight of something moving in the sand, and his face brightened when he saw that Omi had began to stir, pulling himself up as he came back to consciousness. "Omi!" he called out, trying to keep his body from entering the bright white light before him.

Omi looked around at the sound of his voice, his vision blurry. “…J-Jermaine?”he whispered.

 **“OMI!”** Jermaine, now with one leg in the portal, held on even tighter to Jack's hands as he did everything in his power to resist the pull of so many arms around him. Omi caught sight of him, his eyes widening as he began to understand what he was looking at. **“OMI, HELP US! HEL-!”**

But then a phantom hand clamped over his mouth, and Jermaine was pulled into the light, the girl screaming as she was pulled in as well, Omi watching in horror. 

**_“Jermaine!”_ **

The portal shone with all the glory of a supernova, and then, it disappeared. Jack, Jermaine, and the girl with the black eye were gone. The only evidence that they had ever been there at all were their footprints in the sand and Jack's cracked goggles, abandoned and forgotten in the rising ocean tide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single misstep.


	7. Alone Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know where you're going,  
> But do you got room for one more troubled soul?  
> I don't know where I'm going,  
> But I don't think I'm coming home  
> And I said, I'll check in tomorrow if I don't wake up dead  
> This is the road to ruin and we're starting at the end.
> 
> \-----------------------

**_"Chase!_ Chase did you _feel_ that, did you-?!"**

Dressed in a pink bathrobe and matching fluffy bunny slippers, Wuya stood in the doorway of Chase's bedroom, breathing heavily with her hair in curlers and overnight cream smeared all over her face. She looked around the dark and empty bedroom, tucking a stray lock behind her ear as she remembered the last conversation she had there. "Oh, that's right," she muttered, as jungle cats began to poke their heads into the room curiously. "He's on sabbatical." She slapped her forehead in frustration. "Why do I keep acting like he never left? Ugh." She pulled her hands over her face, her fingers stretching out the bags under her eyes. "I'm going soft for that old lizard, I swear."

From behind, a snow leopard growled questioningly up at her, baring his teeth at her suspicious behavior.

Wuya turned and scowled down at him, taking umbrage at his words. "What am I talking about? _What do you mean, 'what am I talking about?!'_ " She stomped her foot indignantly, causing the leopard's eyes to widen as she threw up her hands. "Did you not feel that power?!" She looked up at the ceiling, her eyes distant as she began to take her hair out of the curlers, letting them drop to the floor. "It was as if the energy of the entire world shifted when it heard a strange and primal cry of the end times. It was as if the universe itself opened its mouth and screamed in fear at the realization of its inevitable, yet unexpected, death. That power...it was the Wu. It was THAT. WU." She pounded her fist into her hand. _"It had to be."_

Some of the jungle cats glanced sideways at each other uncertainly, while a few others rolled their eyes at her melodramatic speech. Wuya stood deep in thought for a moment before she straightened up and snapped her fingers. A panther walked up to her with a towel in its mouth, and she wiped her face clean before shedding her bathrobe and kicking off her slippers, her usual attire materializing out of thin air as she did so. "Come on, kitty cats," she said, her hips swaying as she began to walk down the hall. "Self-Care Saturday can wait. Mama's got work to do."

The jungle cats obediently followed.

It wasn't long before the Heylin witch and her horde of beasts made their way to her private chambers deep below the Citadel. Waving her hands to open several enchanted doors, she hurried down the large stone staircase to her study in the darkest depths of the mountain. Scrolls and old tomes filled with forbidden knowledge lined the shelves on the walls. Between them were bottles and jars of various sizes filled with horrific ingredients, along with crystals, ancient artifacts, and the skulls of magical beasts, some of which no longer existed. Wuya zoomed all over the room, hurriedly sifting through chests and shelves to gather a seemingly random assortment of spell ingredients. Over her shoulder, she called out instructions to the jungle cats, who carried them out as fast as they could. "Sigurd, fill the cauldron with more water and get it boiling. Cuauhtemoc, Aja, see if you can find some eye of newt in the bottom shelves. If we're out of it, eye of salamander is fine.

The cats and the witch busied themselves with their respective tasks, none of them noticing when a large black crow flew into the room. After watching everything with a critical eye for a moment, the crow flew down to where Wuya sat on the floor, tapping her finger on her chin as she inspected five crystals set out in front of her. "Caw!" it cried, looking up at her with bright eyes.

Wuya paid no mind to it, and in fact, didn't even acknowledge it was there. Instead, she reached out, picked up a crystal at random, shrugged and stood up. With little ceremony, she threw it into the bubbling cauldron and pumped her fist in triumph as it landed inside with a _splash_ , before hurrying over to a shelf filled with plants. She reached out for a particularly thorny flower, but was stopped as the crow landed in front of her, flapping its wings to get her attention. "CAW!"

"Yes, _hello,_ good evening to you too, bird!" she snapped irritably, nudging it aside and plucking the flower. "I'm a little busy here, can't you wait?!" She rolled her eyes and scoffed as she threw the flower into a mortar and ground it up into a fine dust. _"The nerve of some minions,"_ she muttered under her breath.

The crow's feathers fluffed up, its pride wounded, before it flew up into the air and landed right on top of Wuya's head. "Caw?" it asked insistently. 

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she said, dumping the flower dust into the cauldron and giving it a stir. "Why, I'm in the middle of some midnight black magic, of course!"

"Caw?" 

_"Mmmmm."_ She bit her lip and looked away slyly. "It _might_ have something to do with the Wu Chase warned me about, yes."

**"Caw."**

"You're absolutely right," she said, nodding. "I _did_ promise that I wouldn't get involved with the Wu in any way whatsoever." She smiled up at the crow as the water in the cauldron began to glow pink. "And unlike my other promises, I actually intend to keep this one!"

Around her, the jungle cats snorted, and the crow regarded her with a disbelieving eye. _"Caw."_

"I really _mean_ it this time!" Wuya shouted indignantly, waving the bird off of her head and unscrewing a jar of offal. "I am _not_ going to go near that Wu! I gave Chase my word. But," she said, grinning, "Chase never said I couldn't keep tabs on what was going on, now did he?"

The crow landed on a skull atop a nearby shelf, looking down at the cauldron worriedly. "Caw."

"Yes, I KNOW I'm being sneaky right now, but let's face it." She paused to fluff her hair proudly. "Sneaky is my nature. I might as well roll with it." Her face grew serious, her gaze distant. "...I _have_ to do this. Something about all this...it feels off. And I need answers." She looked up at the bird, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes. "There has to be a reason why Chase isn't going after this insanely powerful Wu. And there has to be a reason why he's not giving me more information on it."

The bird and the witch were quiet for a moment before Wuya turned to look at the jungle cats lounging on the floor and the furniture. "Well?" she asked, tilting her head. "What do any of you know? Is it cursed? Haunted? Does its magic come at a terrible cost?"

The jungle cats blinked up at her, but stayed silent and impassive, their emotions betrayed only by their twitching tails.

Wuya scoffed and put her hands on her hips. "Come on! Some of you have served Chase for CENTURIES! You must know SOMETHING?" She threw her hands up, her face desperate. "Anything?! Anything at all?"

Some of the older, more powerful cats looked sheepishly at each other, but every single beast in the room either shook their heads in defeat or hung them in shame. Wuya stood up again, eyebrows raised. "None of you have anything to say about this?"

Silence.

She sighed and looked away, crossing her arms again. "Well, then I guess we're all in the dark." After a moment, she turned to the cauldron once more, her eyes resolute. "Guess there's nothing left to do but find our own answers."

Wuya gathered the potion ingredients into her arms and began to sprinkle them into the cauldron, one by one. With each new ingredient, the cauldron water changed color, the smoke growing thicker as it wafted up to the high ceiling. As she prepared to finish the last step of the brew, Wuya looked up and met the eyes of the crow, who shifted around uncomfortably at the sight of her witchcraft. She smiled. "There's no harm in just _watching_ what happens, _right?_ I mean, so long as I don't actually _interfere."_

The crow preened itself in an effort to avoid her gaze, but she could see the twinkle of temptation in its eyes. "Oh, _come now,"_ she cooed, her words sweeter than stolen honey. "You can act high and mighty if you want, and you're free to tattle on me whenever you'd like. But aren't you just a _little_ bit curious about all this secrecy? Wouldn't it be nice to have _something_ to work off of?"

The bird was still for a moment, but soon bowed its head in defeat. "Caw," it said quietly.

The witch grinned. "I'm so glad you agree. Now let's see." Wuya casually tossed in the last few ingredients, stirring them into the water. "Chimera spittle, wendigo teeth, a newborn's ribcage, aaaaand....some paprika."

As the last ingredient landed into the cauldron, the water turned a sickly green and began to bubble violently, images flashing like lightning in the swirling smoke. "Hahaha! YES!" cried Wuya, rubbing her hands together excitedly, and the jungle cats behind her craned their necks over each other to get a better look at what she saw.

Things began to appear in the smoke, like a movie projector on a screen, and soon the entire room was enraptured by the horrors that were found there. The witch, the bird and the cats watched in awe as they saw a lighthouse falling apart, a dragon crashing to the earth, a young Chinese boy and a handsome blonde cowboy falling to the ground in defeat. With each passing minute the scene became more and more gruesome. Wuya watched the chaos unfold with a wicked grin on her face, her eyes glowing in excitement as she leaned forward. _"Incredible!"_ she whispered. "Absolutely MAGNIFICENT! I'm so j-e-a-l-o-u-s~!" She began to bounce on her feet, her entire body vibrating with glee. "Who? Who is responsible for unleashing such evil unto the world?! I have to know!"

In the smoke, a figure floating in the sky was sent crashing down to Earth by the Dragon of Wind. It hurtled to the beach, where Raimundo ran over to it, shaking it awake and screaming something at it desperately. But there was a burst of power, and Raimundo was sent flying backwards as the figure rose up. It was a boy, a young teenager dressed all in black with hair like hellfire, and a painted on scar under his right eye.

There was no mistaking who he was.

"Jack Spicer?" 

Wuya's grin fell, and she blinked stupidly in the green glow of the cauldron, her hair beginning to writhe like snakes, before she leaned forward, rage growing in her eyes like a forest fire. _"Jack Spicer?"_

The jungle cats behind her began to creep away slowly as the room began to shake and rumble, but it was already too late. The force of the witch's anger shattered every bottle and jar in the room, creating a hurricane of books, scrolls and unfortunate jungle cats as she screeched, her voice like thunder in their ears. **"JACK SPICER HAS THE WU?! _ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!"_**

Struggling not to be blown away by an ancient Heylin hissyfit, the crow flew down to her shoulder, cawing into her ear desperately and begging her to get ahold of herself.

 _ **"I will not calm down!"**_ Wuya snapped as she grabbed the unlucky bird off her shoulder and brought it up to her eyes, vibrating with rage. **"The most powerful, chaotic energy since humanity crawled out of the mud is _in the hands of an overprivileged mall goth with daddy issues!"_**

With her final shout, she stamped her foot, sending a crack speeding across the stone floor and towards the cauldron. The force was enough to shake the cauldron violently, and with a bubble and a hiss, it fell over, emptying the contents out onto the floor. Jungle cats leapt on top of shelves to avoid the angry liquid, while Wuya's eyes stopped glowing as she looked at the mess in a panic. "What?!" she cried, letting go of the crow.

The two watched as the potion turned to mud, the smoke disappearing along with the images within. "No!' screamed Wuya, desperately trying to grab ahold of each wisp of smoke, but they disappeared as soon as her fingers touched them. "NonononononoNO! Where did he go?! WHERE DID HE GO?! _WHAT IS GOING ON?!"_

But poor Wuya found herself standing knee-deep in muck, without a cauldron, without answers, and without a clue as to what she had seen in the smoke.

Wuya stood there, breathing heavily, the picture of madness, before she waded through the mud to the cauldron and began to tip it back upright. From above her, the crow watched, quivering in fear at her before poking its head from behind a cactus. "C-caw?" 

"Keep your beak shut, bird!" she hissed, wiping some mud off of her forehead before she began to enchant some water into the cauldron. "This is going places I wasn't expecting it to go, and I need to know how it pans out! Now more than ever!" She ran a hand through her hair, clutching her head tight. " _Jack Spicer_ is now the owner of real bonafide _power._ He's become something that I'd never, in a million years, ever expected him to be - **an actual threat.** And I intend to keep a very close eye on him from here on out." She glared up at the crow, jungle cats peering down at her from the darkest, safest corners of the room. "Now, make yourself useful and find me some mandrake root. This is gonna be a long night."

\-------

_"Hey! Wake up!"_

Somewhere within the fog in Jermaine's head, a shrill but distant voice cut through the darkness like a knife. Jermaine groaned softly, but did not answer. And he slowly began to sink back into the warm, comfortable nothingness.

 _"Hey! Xiaolin Wannabe! Get ahold of yourself, this is serious!"_ The voice paused for a moment, its breath coming out short and panicked before it spoke again. _"We're in real trouble! We gotta get out of here, now!"_

"It's okay, Omi," mumbled Jermaine in slurred, halting words. "I got your back, dawg. I promise."

_"Jermaine! WAKE UP!"_

Without any warning, someone delivered a stinging slap to Jermaine's face, and like a cold shower, it brought him back to reality fast. "Wha?!" he cried out, his eyes shooting open. "Wuss goin' on?!" he asked stupidly, looking around and making himself dizzy with the effort. With his mind still half-asleep, the world was nothing more than a confusing blur of colors and shapes.

"About time, Loser!"

Jermaine tried to steady himself as he sat up off the ground, but all five of his senses were flooding his mind with sudden, incomprehensible information. Hot summer sun, dirt on his tongue, people booing and catcalling in a different language, the smell of something animal in the air, red eyes - 

...Red eyes?

"Took you long enough!" snapped Jack Spicer, glaring down at him with disdain as he reached over and dragged Jermaine to his feet.

"J-Jack?" Jermaine gawked at him, slowly understanding that the voice he heard earlier had been his. "What...What happened? Where are we?"

"You tell me, idiot!" snapped Jack. _"You're_ the jerk who used the Tiger Claws! Where'd you send us?!"

"I - where did I - what?"

Jermaine stumbled over his words as he looked around, his eyes widening at what he saw. They were in the middle of some sort of outdoor stadium, absolutely packed with people, all staring down at the two of them, and all roaring loudly with displeasure.

"What the..?"

As Jermaine stepped forward to get a better look, he caught sight of something in his peripheral vision to his right, and turned to see a very familiar face. The girl from earlier held herself tightly and backed away from the sheer hostility radiating off of the crowds in the stands. Jermaine could see something flicker in her eyes, like a strange trick of the light, as she gazed fearfully up at the angry people all around. He reached out to her, ignoring Jack for a moment as his brow furrowed in concern. "Hey, kid, are you-?

_"¡Oye, tú!"_

Jermaine whirled around to see a tall man in a traje de luces marching up to them, his eyes bright with rage. _"¡¿Qué demonios crees que estás haciendo?!"_ he screamed, his face turning redder and redder by the second.

"I - uh - what?" stuttered Jermaine nervously. Behind him, Jack took a step back from the furious man, who ignored him and shoved a finger in the shorter boy's face, nearly frothing at the mouth in his anger. "¿Esto es una broma? ¡No es gracioso! ¡Tú y tus amigos necesitan irse, _ahorita!_ ¿Cómo te atreves a hacer esto, aquí, en la Plaza de Toros? Turistas ignorantes, ¿quién te crió? _¿Cómo te atreves a faltarle el respeto a nuestra cultura así?"_

"Yo, s-s-slow down!" pleaded Jermaine, raising his hands in surrender. "I can't understand you, man! I stopped taking Spanish in 8th grade!"

"He's _saying_ we gotta go!" said Jack, grabbing Jermaine's arm and holding it up for him to see. Jermaine's eyebrows flew up in surprise at the sight of the Golden Tiger Claws still in his hand, and the Chinese characters still glowing on his skin all up and down his arm.

"What are you waiting for?!" snapped Jack impatiently. "Teleport us out of here before...b-before..."

Jack's words came to a slow, shaky halt as he caught sight of something over Jermaine's shoulder, and everyone turned to see what it was.

Their hearts all stopped at the exact same time.

At the far end of the stadium, larger than life and riled up from all the chaos, was a great black bull. Snorting and stomping its hooves, it casually stepped out into the bullfighting ring, its handlers too distracted by the sudden appearance of three foreign teenagers to realize it had gotten out. Shifting its weight, it began to paw at the ground, locking eyes with Jermaine and snorting aggressively.

"Ay, mierda," said the matador in a small voice.

Suddenly, the bull thundered its way towards them with pure, unmasked fury as the crowds in the stands cried out in surprise. Jack squealed and ran, his arms flailing comically in the air as he looked for an escape. The matador, sensing that this was no time to fight, grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her away to safety as he began to move as well. _"¡Muévete, muchachos!"_ he cried.

But Jermaine, in his shock, didn't move, and the bull was coming closer, and closer-

"Idiot!" 

Jermaine felt himself being tackled from the side, and he cried out in surprise as he tumbled into the dirt, his limbs getting tangled up in someone else's body. Coughing the dust out of his throat, he blinked up at the sight of Jack sitting on his chest, completely bewildered. "I - wha - _did you just save my life?!"_

"You've got to be the dumbest person I've ever met!" screeched Jack angrily, holding Jermaine up by the scruff of his shirt and shaking him. "There is a _teleporting Shen Gong Wu_ stuck to your hand! _**Use it!"**_

The sound of the crowd collectively gasping in fear got their attention, and the two boys looked up to see what was going on. Picadores and banderilleros had entered the stadium and were trying to calm the enraged bull and distract it away from the matador. But in the process, one of the banderilleros had slipped and fallen on the ground. The beast moved toward him with surprising speed, its great, sharp horns gleaming in the sunlight. The man, alone and cornered, was only seconds away from being gored - 

Until a rubber fishing boot came flying out of nowhere and hit the bull on the back of its head.

The bull froze, the crowd crying out in surprise and relief as the banderillero scrambled to his feet and skittered away with his life. Jack and Jermaine whirled around to see the girl with the black eye, missing a boot and frozen in shock as she realized what she had just done. The bull turned to her, trembling with anger and bellowing loudly. 

"Oh sweet Moses, _why did you do that?!"_ cried Jack.

"Mother Mary, _why did I do that?!"_ cried the girl.

Jermaine hopped to his feet, pulling Jack with him by the elbow. "Come on, we gotta-!"

But he was cut off by a sharp pain shooting down his arm.

Jermaine screamed and doubled over, clutching his arm in agony as the Chinese characters on his skin began to glow brighter. Without any warning, the Tiger Claws began to move on their own, dragging Jermaine this way and that as he squawked in surprise and tried to stay in one place. The girl watched, dumbstruck, until Jermaine ran right into her.

"AAH! S-SORRY!"

The girl instinctively grabbed his arm to steady herself, but then the Claws pulled them both up into the air. Panicking, she reached for something to grab onto and latched onto Jack, who was dragged up along with them until they were all eighty feet in the air. The girl clung onto Jermaine tightly, desperate not to fall as Jack screamed his head off under her. Below them, the crowd was in an uproar, and the bull coming to a stop as it looked up at the sight, completely mollified. Jermaine looked down, frozen in fear, until the Claws moved on their own, tearing open a blinding white portal in the sky and pulling the three unlucky teenagers into it.

They were hurtling upwards, screaming hysterically in an endless, blank void, until suddenly, gravity kicked in and they found themselves falling back down. There was a loud ripping sound, and the three fell out of another portal and landed gracelessly on hard, unforgiving asphalt.

"Ugh..." Moaning in pain, Jack peeled himself up off the ground and looked around worriedly. "Where are we now?"

It was night here, the streetlights above casting a rusty orange light down on them and blotting out the stars, and a tumbleweed blew across the road as his eyes adjusted to the dark. He blinked at the sight of cactus and scrub brush stretching out into the distance. It was completely alien, but something about it felt oddly familiar. But before he could ruminate on that thought for very long, a loud **HONK** caught his attention. Jack turned around just in time to see a a large brown pick-up truck hurtling towards him at a terrifying speed.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

Jack shrieked in terror even as Jermaine pulled him out of the way of the oncoming truck. The vehicle swerved to miss the three teenagers and hit the breaks, screeching as it went flying off the road and crashed straight into a large saguaro. The three teenagers all shouted as the car began to start smoking, and watched as a tall, burly redheaded teen stumbled out of the driver's seat.

"MY TRUCK!" he cried, clutching his head at the damage. "Daddy's gonna murder me!" He whirled around, glaring at the three with pure, unfiltered hatred. "Are y'all outta your gotdang _minds?!_ What kind of backwards, brainless idiots walk in the middle of the road AT NIGHT?! I could have KILLED YOU!"

"W-w-we're sorry!" stammered Jack, hiding behind the girl. "It was an accident, we-"

But behind him, Jermaine screamed again, and there was light, and a loud tearing sound. The redheaded boy watched in horror as the three teenagers sank into the ground, disappearing into another white void and vanishing into thin air.

"Jermaine, _knock it off!"_ begged Jack as he fell through the void, flailing like a rag doll.

"It's not me, I swear!" yelled Jermaine. "They're doing it on their own!"

 _"What's going on?!"_ screamed the girl.

Summoning all his strength, Jermaine dived forward to grab onto her, reaching for Jack and managing to grab his wrist just in time fir them to fly sideways out of another portal and into a wall. They bounced off of it unceremoniously, landing on a counter top and spilling several glasses of beer. Around them, customers cried out in surprise and anger, ignoring the cricket match they had all been watching on the television, and as the teenagers picked themselves up, a tattooed man came storming through the bewildered crowd. "Oi, you lot! No minors in this pub, now shove off!"

Before he could fully process this, Jermaine's arm began to glow again. He held onto it tightly, squeezing his eyes shut and shouting "Stop, stop, STOP!" But it didn't listen, and the pub patrons screamed as the Claws tore open another hole in reality. Jack and the girl reached out to grab onto Jermaine just as he began to fall into it, following Jermaine through the nothingness and skidding into a classroom. Here, the students leapt up from their desks, craning their necks to get a better look at them, and as the professor begin to screech something in rapid-fire Japanese at the disruption, a chubby girl with short hair and glasses took out her phone and snapped a photo of them before the Claws created another portal and sent them flying into the void once more.

"Can't you control those things?!" screamed Jack, struggling to hold onto Jermaine's cursed arm.

"If I could, I would have already!" snapped Jermaine, glaring up at him as he held onto the girl with his other arm. "They won't listen to me! I've already tried!`"

 **"Make** them listen!" begged the girl. Her black toque flew up into the air, and she hastily grabbed it and yanked it back onto her head before looking back at Jermaine with wide eyes. "Keep trying! _Please!"_

The way her voice broke filled Jermaine with a renewed sense of determination. He bent over in concentration, muttering to himself as he demanded the Wu's cooperation, begging it to take them somewhere safe. "Golden Tiger Claws, Golden Tiger Claws-"

 _"Get us out of here, get us out of here, get us out of here!"_ babbled Jack, and as he spoke those words, the Chinese characters on Jermaine's arm lit up in obedience. Jermaine raised his arm, his voice ringing with confidence. **"GOLDEN TIGER CLAWS!"**

There was light, there was a tear, and the three of them hung on to each other as they fell - 

And then there was nothing. No screaming, no chaos, just...silence.

Jermaine opened his eyes, relief washing over him as he laughed and held his hands on his hips, looking over at Jack. "How you like me now?" he asked, cocky and proud.

But his grin fell when he saw Jack's expression. Jermaine looked around and met the eyes of several people, distracted from the machinery and the tech on the walls around the cramped space they were in as they floated around, wide-eyed and open mouthed and -

Wait.

_Floated?_

Jermaine blinked once, twice, then looked down, slowly beginning to realize that he, and Jack, and the girl, were all hovering weightlessly through the air. Next to him, the girl looked down, her eyes like saucers as she caught sight of something, and she turned over in the air to get a better look, her face steadily growing more panicked. _"Boys?"_

Jermaine and Jack followed her gaze and saw, below them, a small glass window. As they themselves turned upside down to get a better view, they came closer and saw _the planet Earth,_ a wide expanse of blue and white glowing bright against the darkness of space.

Behind them, a small voice stammered into a communicator. "Uh....Houston?"

"Take us back," stuttered Jack, clutching onto Jermaine's arm and shaking him as he began to freak out. "Take us back, take us back, _take us back, **take us back-"**_

Jermaine didn't even wait for the Claws to start lighting up again. He lifted his arm, ignoring the bewildered cries of the astronauts watching him. "G-Golden Tiger Claws!" he shouted, and he tore open another portal and pulled the other two teens through it. They were falling, they were flailing, they were screaming, but he grit his teeth and concentrated on somewhere safe, somewhere quiet, or at least, a comfortable landing, before raising his arms and opening a way out.

The three of them landed in cold, murky water with a loud _splash._

Jermaine clawed his way back up to the surface, gasping for air as he tried to keep afloat as best as he could. It wasn't easy, with the Golden Tiger Claws weighing him down the way they did, but he found a piece of wood floating in the river. He grabbed onto it, letting the currents push him to shore and kicking the rest of the way as Jack doggy paddled after him, squealing any time a fish brushed up against his leg.

Finally, the two of them crawled up onto a sandy river bank, coughing and sputtering. Jack rolled off of his stomach, rubbing his eye and smearing his makeup. "Is it over?" he asked breathlessly, blinking at the trees above.

Jermaine sank into the soft sand, watching the way the Chinese characters on his skin dimmed until they were just black marks. Anyone who saw them would have mistaken them for tattoos. "Yeah," he answered, nodding. "Yeah, I think it's over." He reached out to try to pull the Wu off his hand, but it still held fast, and he swore he could see them glow for half a second. "It's over...for now."

For a moment, the two boys lay there, luxuriating in a brief moment of peace. And when their eyes opened once more, and their gazes met....

Everything that had happened that day came crashing down on them.

They scrambled up off the ground at the exact same time, glaring at each other and readying themselves in case the other attacked first.

But no one moved.

Jermaine eyed Jack suspiciously until a sudden realization dawned on him. He immediately spun around, looking for a head of blonde hair. But there was no one else on the river bank except them. "Where's the girl?!" he shouted, looking back at Jack with an edge of worry in his voice.

"I-I don't know!" cried Jack, looking around as well. "The last time I saw her was back in the por-" He froze mid-sentence as he ran a hand through his hair, feeling around for something that was not there. His eyes widened. "No."

Jermaine watched as Jack began to storm up and down the beach, his eyes wild with panic. "No," he muttered, his voice steadily growing louder. "No, no, no, no, NO!" Finally, he whirled around to face Jermaine. "Where's the Wu?!"

"The _WHAT?"_ asked Jermaine, bewildered

"The **Wu,** genius! The Crown of the Monkey King! Did..." Jack froze, the blood leaving his face. "Did I drop it?! Did I lose it in while going through one of the other portals?" Jack clapped a hand to his forehead and fell to the ground, beginning to dig around in the sand at random. "Are you kidding me?! The ONE victory I get in a year, and I LOSE it?!"

Jermaine could only watch and shake his head in disgust, before he marched over to punch Jack in the arm, hard. _**"Get over yourself for a second!"**_ he screamed as Jack rubbed at his new bruise and crawled away from him on the sand. "This is serious! What if that girl got left behind somewhere?!"

"R-relax, she p-probably through the portal with us!" babbled Jack as he quailed under Jermaine's intense gaze. "I'm not sure though, I was trying to, you know, not drown?!"

"Wait, so she's still in the water?! _Can she swim?!"_ Jermaine turned to the river behind him, his eyes searching for signs of any movement. But he saw none, not even bubbles. He began to take his shirt off, trying to remember the last CPR class his mother sent him to. "I'm going in after her!"

"Wait. What's that?"

Jermaine followed Jack's gaze and caught sight of something in the distance. Jack scrambled up to his feet and followed Jermaine as the shorter boy jogged over to see what it was. Lying there on the wet sand of the riverbank was the girl's black toque, and nearby were a set of irregular footprints, the left made from a boot, the right from bare feet. They stretched out into the distance, and disappeared into the jungle ahead.

"...She's okay." Jermaine sagged in relief, the tension leaving his body. "She's alive."

"She ran off," muttered Jack darkly. "And she probably took the Wu with her. Great. JUST. GREAT." He let out a loud sigh of frustration, gritting his teeth. _"Why does the Universe hate me so much? Why can't I just have ONE win?"_

"Are you _serious?"_ Jermaine turned to him, starting to tremble in his anger. Jack began to back away slowly as Jermaine slowly walked toward him, his voice steadily growing louder. "Are you for real?! Is that all you even care about?! You wrecked a building, you kidnapped a girl, _you tried to kill my friends, and the only thing you care about is some stupid Wu?!"_

"What are you talking about?!" asked Jack, finding himself cornered against a tree.

"What am-" Jermaine sputtered, his anger faltering for a second, but only a second, before he punched the wood above Jack's head in frustration, reducing it to splinters. "Did you not see what you did to the lighthouse?! _To the Dragons?!"_

"Y-y-you think _I_ had something to do with that?!"

_**"Stop playing games with me, man!** _ You really think I'm that stupid?! _I saw you!_ I saw what you did to them! Raimundo might be  dead because of you!" 

"I didn't do _anything_ to him!" protested Jack, anger flaring its way up past his cowardice as he shoved Jermaine away. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I did NOT wreck that beach! And by the way, Jock Strap, I didn't kidnap anyone either! If you wanna get technical about it, YOU were the one that used the Tiger Claws!" He pointed at Jermaine, his words actually managing to catch the other off guard. "She's lost in this jungle because of _you!"_

"I-" stuttered Jermaine, taking a step back at the revelation. "No, I...I didn't-!"

"And what's with the Tiger Claws anyway?!" interrupted Jack, eyeing the Wu that was still stuck to Jermaine's arm. "I've never seen those kinds of portals before! Those arms were _so freaky!_ What did you do, break them or something?!"

"They're like this because of what **you** did!" shouted Jermaine, finding his ground again. "You and that _stupid_ Crown!"

"The...wait." Jack paused, standing up straight, his mind moving a mile a minute. "The....The _Crown_ did that?"

"You're the one that used it!" spat Jermaine. "What, you don't remember?!"

Jack opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. Jermaine glared at him, his chest moving up and down, absolutely seething with rage. But as he stood there and watched Jack fidget and bite his lip in uncertainty, his eyes widened, starting to understand. "You remember, _right?"_ he asked, eyeing Jack warily. 

"I..." said Jack, but whatever else he was about to say faded into silence.

Finding that answer unacceptable, Jermaine took a step forward and held Jack by the shoulders, forcing the taller boy to look him dead in the eye. "Spicer, _what's the last thing you remember?"_

Jack stared into his eyes for a moment before looking down at his boots in thought. "We were on the beach," he said, almost to himself. "Clay was being...stupid, and I was mad. I put on the Crown, and my head started hurting." He winced at the memory. "I thought my skull would split open, but I...didn't take it off. And-" He blinked, swallowing. "And then Raimundo was...He...."

Jack and Jermaine stood there in silence as birds sang in the trees overhead. Finally, Jermaine lifted his hands off of Jack's shoulders, his eyes wide. "You weren't doing that," he murmured slowly. "You...it was the _Crown,_ not _you._ "

"What does that...What exactly did the Crown do?" asked Jack, shaking his head in confusion. He took a step forward, his face a mixture of frustration and desperation. "Jermaine, _what happened?"_

"I'll..." Pausing for a moment, Jermaine took a deep breath and let it out slowly, suddenly very tired. "I'll explain on the way."

With that, Jermaine he turned to the footprints on the sand, following them into the distance. "Right now," he called out to Jack over his shoulder, "There's someone else we gotta focus on." He reached down to scoop the girl's hat off the sand and started walking, motioning for Jack to follow him. "Come on."

Jack stood there in silence for a moment before his face heated up. "Y-you're not the boss of me!" he whined petulantly. "You're just some schmuck from New York! You're not even a real Xiaolin warrior!"

Jack's words stung, far more than he meant them to, and for a moment, Jermaine thought he could heat Chase Young's soft laughter in his ear. But he forced himself to stay cool and speak confidently. "Spicer, _dawg,_ the longer we stay here, the more chance that girl has of seriously getting lost in..." He gestured to the jungle around them. "Wherever we are. Let's go find her, she might need our help."

"Uh, yeah, as if," muttered Jack, crossing his arms with a huff. "You really think I'm gonna help that girl after what she did to me?"

Snorting in disgust, Jermaine rolled his eyes and turned to keep walking. "Stay here alone, or come with me and get answers," he called over his shoulder. "its up to you, man."

Jack scowled as he watched Jermaine disappear into the trees, but his sour expression began to crack as he looked around. Everything was ferns and vines and thick, thick forest, and birds, insects and other jungle creatures he did not recognize called out to each other from every direction. Jack glanced up at the sky nervously. It was still early morning here, but who knew where he would be once the sun began to set? The teen reached back for his helipack, only to find that it was not there, and as he fiddled with the gadgets on his wrist, he realized that they were completely ruined from the water in the river. Realizing that there was no other option, Jack began to give chase to Jermaine, rushing into the trees after him. "H-hey, wait for me!"

It didn't take very long for him to catch up to the other boy; Jermaine had waited for him, choosing to lean up against a tree and watch brightly colored birds fly over his head. As he heard footsteps coming closer, Jermaine turned to see Jack struggling to catch his breath and stumbling over to him. Jermaine raised an unsympathetic eyebrow at him. "So you're gonna put on your big boy pants and help?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," panted Jack, sneering up at Jermaine with his hands on his knees. "Don't make a big deal out of it, okay? I'm not doing this for some backwater Newfie girl with an attitude problem. I just got a lot of questions, and you're gonna answer them."

"Fair enough," said Jermaine, rolling his eyes. He began to walk again, following the girl's footprints with Jack trailing a few steps behind. "So, where do you want to start?"

"...The Dragons."

Jermaine looked back at Jack, his eyebrows flying up at the barely concealed guilt on Jack's face. "Are they...you know." Jack scratched the back of his head awkwardly, avoiding Jermaine's eyes and trying to put up a tough front, but it was clear to the other boy that he genuinely needed an answer to his question.

"Are they okay?"

\------------

_"Raimundo. Raimundo. Raimundo."_

A soft whisper, as warm as a summer breeze, slowly lured Raimundo out of the fog of sleep. He stirred, trying to move, but finding it impossible. His limbs felt far too heavy to be his, and exhaustion hummed through his body. through his bones, through his soul. "Mmmmgh..." he mumbled, his eyelids fluttering as he struggled to open them.

_"Wake up, my brave young Dragon."_

With great effort, Raimundo finally opened his eyes, the world swimming before him as he blinked and tried to get his vision to focus. He could see sunlight streaming through leaves overhead, and heard sweet birdsong coming from every direction. It took him a moment longer than it should have to realize that there was someone looking down at him. Because the sun was directly overhead, they were completely in shadow, their long curly hair falling over their face as they stroked his hair gently, like a mother soothing a frightened child. The only thing about their face he could see clearly were their beautiful grey eyes, like mirrors, or like the clouds after a storm. Raimundo's brow furrowed; he had never met anyone with grey eyes before. "W-who are you?" he asked them weakly.

Those lovely eyes crinkled up into slits as they smiled, laughing softly, and the hand stroking his hair playfully covered his own eyes, obscuring his vision completely. For some reason, it made Raimundo laugh. "Uh! H-hey..."

_"Everything will change from now on."_

Raimundo's heart skipped a beat, his grin falling. "W-what?"

For a moment, the person with the grey eyes sat quietly, letting him rest his head in their lap as the birds continued to sing and chirp all around them. They began to stroke his head again with their other hand, still covering his eyes. _"Everything will change, and you **will** be tested. As a warrior, as a leader, and as yourself. And any victories that may come in the future will be **very** hard earned."_ They paused. _"None of it is your fault. You did not deserve this. This battle was never yours to fight."_

Raimundo tried to sit up, but it was far too much effort, and he fell back into their lap almost immediately. "What are you talking about?" he asked, completely bewildered. "Who _are_ you?"

The person stopped stroking his hair, and held the sides of his head, leaning closer. Raimundo blinked, his eyes wide as he looked right up into the face of an extraordinarily beautiful Middle Eastern woman, with dark skin and darker hair. Her eyes seemed to glow as she spoke. _"Listen to me, Raimundo. Winning this battle will not be easy. But you can do it. He is...powerful, but even so, he will be **no** match for the six of you."_

"Six of us?" mumbled Raimundo. "What-?"

_"It is time."_

Raimundo's breath hitched as she leaned down and kissed the top of his head, looking him dead in the eye with a smile. _"I believe in you, Raimundo. I always have."_ Her grey eyes shone in front of his one last time before she leaned to the side and whispered her final words into his ear. _"Now wake up."_

Raimundo's eyes snapped open.

He stared up at the ceiling overhead for what felt like hours, trying to understand what had just happened. Slowly, painfully, he sat up in the bed he was in, wincing as he did. Everything hurt, absolutely everything, except for his head, which still felt foggy and oddly light, and as he pushed the thick sheets off of his chest with more effort than was normal, he noticed that his arms were covered in bandages. He held his hands up to his face, turning them over and inspecting them, before feeling his face, and finding a few more bandages there. "What the _heck?"_ he whispered, his brow furrowing as he blinked around at the humble little room. "What am I - How did I get here?"

A noise from the hallway got his attention. Raimundo looked to the door as two sets of footsteps grew closer and closer, and with them, two voices, only one of which was familiar.

"...unfortunate, b-but it had to be done. There was n-no other option."

"I understand. ...What happens now?"

"It is imperative that everyone shows their l-l-love and su-support in his time of n-n-need. I will do everything in my power to give him the best possible care, of c-course, but there is a big difference between the bond we w-w-will have, and the bond he has with friends and fa-fa-family."

"What about the future?"

"In due time, he w-will-"

Two people turned the corner and walked into the room, and they stopped in their tracks when they saw Raimundo sitting up, waiting for them. One of them was a tall, slim youth he had never seen before in white and blue robes, perhaps in his early twenties, with short, messy black hair and glasses. The other was -

"Master Monk Guan?"

Holding the Spear of Guan close to his chest, Master Monk Guan stepped forward, staring at Raimundo like he had seen a ghost. "Rai-! Raimundo!" he cried, making his way to the bed. "You're awake!"

"Yeah, I'm awake," said Raimundo, laughing and trying to ignore the way it made his ribs ache. He smiled up at him, mischief in his eyes. "Long time no see, Guano Man. How've you been?"

Guan let out a deep breath, the tension leaving his shoulders as he returned Raimundo's smile. "I have been well, Young Dragon," he said quietly, as he sat down on a chair next to Raimundo's bed. "It is... _so very good_ to see you again, Bobo."

"Hello, Young D-Dragon."

Raimundo looked up at the unfamiliar man behind Guan, who was holding a glass in his hand. He smiled gently. "You've been sleeping for quite some t-time. Would you like s-s-some water?"

"I...yeah. Water would be nice." Raimundo reached forward and took a long, deep drink, suddenly realizing just how thirsty he was as he finished it all in one gulp. Before he could open his mouth, the man in the glasses poured him some more out of a nearby pitcher. "Thanks," said Raimundo, blushing sheepishly up at him. 

The man grinned, revealing a small gap between his two front teeth. "You are m-most welcome."

Raimundo took a sip, looking away and trying to ignore the awkwardness in the way Guan and the stranger were watching him in silence. Finally, it was too much to bear, and he turned to the stranger. "Sorry, but...who...are you?"

"O-oh!" said the stranger, his face lighting up in realization. "F-forgive my rudeness!" He gave Raimundo a deep, formal bow. "My name is Kim Seon-Yeong. I am a Xiaolin monk, just l-like you."

"How come I've never seen you before?" asked Raimundo, setting his glass down on the table beside the bed.

"I come from an order of h-h-healers," explained Seon-Yeong, pushing his glasses up with one finger. "We spend m-most of our time learning m-m-medical practices from all over the w-world. We travel so often for our s-studies, we rarely s-stay in any of the Temples, i-including our own." He cleared his throat. "In fact, we usually only ever come t-to Temples if there are people in n-need of our...s-s-services." 

"Oh," said Raimundo, understanding. "So you only go to other Temples if they need a doctor." His brow furrowed as the gears in his head began to turn. "Why....why would _we_ need a doctor?"

Time seemed to stand still as Guan and Seon-Yeong stared back at Raimundo with unreadable faces. Raimundo blinked at them, unsure of what to say in the face of the overbearing quiet.

And out of nowhere, everything came flooding back to him all at once.

"The Crown... _ **The Crown!"**_ Raimundo shot up in the bed, knocking over the glass and sending it crashing to the floor. "What happened?! Where's my team?! Kimiko?! _Clay?! **Where's Omi?!"**_

"Raimundo, please calm down!" cried Guan, dropping his Spear and leaning forward to touch Raimundo's shoulder.

"No!" shouted Raimundo. "Something's wrong! Something's _wrong,_ why else would **you** be here?!" he cried, looking at Seon-Yeong with a mix of suspicion and fear.

Seon-Yeong cringed at Raimundo's words, but resolutely stepped forward, fiddling with his glasses again. "Young Dragon, I u-understand how you must f-feel-."

Raimundo ignored Seon-Yeong, reaching out and pulling Guan close. "How long have I been asleep?! Where are they?! What room are they in?!"

"Raimundo, _you must calm down,"_ insisted Guan, taking Raimundo's hands. "You are mistaken! There is - what are you doing?!" he cried, as he watched Raimundo edging himself to the side of the bed. "You are in absolutely _no_ condition to-!"

_"Forget my condition, where's my team?!"_

Out of nowhere, Seon-Yeong swept in, trying to restrain Raimundo as gently as he could. "Young Dragon, I m-must insist that you s-stay in-!"

_"No! I have to find my friends! Are they alive?! TELL ME THEY'RE ALIVE!"_

"Young Dragon! Please, it is n-not what you think! I wasn't s-summoned here f-for them, I was s-s-summoned here for-!"

Raimundo wrestled his arms out of Seon-Yeong's grip, threw back the covers of the bed - 

And froze at what he saw.

It was as if the room itself stopped breathing. Guan stood as still as a statue, crestfallen at his reaction. Seon-Yeong opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Raimundo lowered his head, his hair falling over his face. A thousand different thoughts buzzed around Raimundo's head, a thousand different emotions and words churning in his chest and just behind his lips. But when he finally opened his mouth, all he could say was..."Oh."

It didn't register at first, but Raimundo felt himself being guided back down into the sheets by Guan's gentle hands. Seon-Yeong took a deep breath in, then out, making his way to the edge of the bed. He sat down, but Raimundo did not look up. "Young Dragon," he said quietly, "Many things have h-happened s-s-since you encountered the Crown of the Monkey K-King. I'm afraid...there is m-much we need to discuss."

Another minute of complete silence passed before Raimundo took a deep breath in through his nose, nodding slowly."....Okay," he murmured. "Okay. But before we start, I'm gonna need you to answer my question."

Raimundo looked up, and the young doctor felt his blood run cold at the boy's blank expression.

"My team," Raimundo said tonelessly. _"How are they?"_

 

\------------

"Omi, you should stop."

In a dark, windowless room deep within the Xiaolin Temple, Omi turned around from where he had been sitting on the floor for over two hours, his eyes burning with desperation. "I almost had it, Master! Did you see? I _almost_ had something!"

Curled up beside him, Dojo glanced at Omi before looking back at Master Fung, shaking his head in pity. The old man sighed, before walking over to the boy he raised. Gently tipping the young boy's chin up to meet his own eyes, he tried again. "Omi, Ceridwen's Cauldron is a most unreliable Wu even in the best of circumstances." His eyes narrowed, his face growing grim. "And now that it has been _corrupted-"_

**"I said I would have his back."**

Master Fung fell silent.

Omi swallowed a shaky sob, hastily wiping his tears away with the back of his sleeve before he looked back up at his Master, his face serious. "Before we left to retrieve the Crown of the Monkey King, Jermaine promised that he'd have my back. And I told him I would have his." His chest swelled with determination, and despite his bandages and bruises, the smallest Xiaolin Dragon had never looked fiercer. _**"I promised,"**_ he finished quietly.

Eyeing his student up and down, Master Fung stood silently for a moment before nodding, kneeling on the ground and sitting himself down beside Omi. "Very well," he said, a small smile on his face. "One more try."

Omi smiled gratefully back, before turning around to face Ceridwen's Cauldron once more. The small, dark pot sat on the stone floor, innocuous and unremarkable, except for the intricate Celtic designs in the ancient metal. Saying a quick prayer under his breath, Omi reached down and picked up the basketball that sat by his feet, the very same one Jermaine had brought with him from New York. He held his offering high, closing his eyes and concentrating hard on who it belonged to. **"Ceridwen's Cauldron!"** he called out, and he dropped the basketball into the open mouth of the pot.

Omi, Dojo, and Master Fung held their breath as they sat together in the dimly lit room, watching and waiting. Suddenly, one by one, Gaelic words began to appear around the rim of the Cauldron, and from deep within, water appeared from nowhere, rising and rising until Jermaine's basketball disappeared from view.

"It's working!" cried Omi, beginning to laugh. Dojo crawled up onto Fung's shoulder to get a better look, his eyes wide as Fung's jaw dropped open in awe. The three watched as the water inside the Cauldron began to froth and boil, glowing eerily and bathing them all in a mysterious light. Soon, it eased down to a gentle simmer, and a fine, silvery steam arose from the pot, forming the shapes of different animals - a greyhound, a hawk, an otter. The brew within the Cauldron of Ceridwen began to change from blue, to green, to pink, and back again, illuminating the walls around them in a slow and steady color shift. 

Master Fung steadied his breath. "It is ready, young monk," he said quietly.

Omi nodded and stepped forward to the edge of the Cauldron, running his hands along the rim and over the incomprehensible words there. From behind him, Dojo piped up, eyeing the glowing brew nervously. "Remember, kid, only a _few_ drops of potion, and nothing more. If you get too greedy, you could end up developing an unwanted sixth sense, or opening a third eye." He shivered at the thought. "And then we'd REALLY be in trouble."

"Yes, Dojo," murmured Omi. Taking a deep breath, he stuck his thumb into the warm, mysterious brew and brought it to his mouth, sucking away exactly three drops of the potion. He swallowed them, screwing his eyes shut at the disgusting taste. "Bleh!" he spat, forcing himself not to wipe his tongue.

When Omi opened eye again, they were glowing _just_ like the potion in the Cauldron, slowly changing from blue to green to pink.

"What do you see?" asked Master Fung, as he got closer to his student.

Omi's eyes began to glow a steady, ghostly blue, steam rising out of his mouth with every word he spoke. "I see..." His eyes grew big in astonishment. "I see Jermaine. He's fighting a man with a strange mask. He's...He's winning." Omi frowned, and Master Fung and Dojo held their breath. "No..." murmured Omi, leaning forward to see something that wasn't in the room. "He's lost the fight. There are crowds of people watching him. They are...not happy." Sitting back, Omi looked over to where he knew his elder was sitting, his eyes still filled with strange visions. "I don't understand. What IS this, Master Fung?"

"The Cauldron reveals images of a person's past, present and future, but only in pieces, and seldom ever the ones we seek out the most." Master Fung ran a hand over his beard thoughtfully. "Rather, it most often shows us what _it_ thinks we need to see."

"That's one pretty opinionated piece of dishware, if you ask me," muttered Dojo, crossing his arms.

"Indeed," agreed Omi. "I do not understand why this is relevant at all. I-"

Omi went quiet, and sat up straight. "W-what is happening?" he said, a flicker of worry passing over his face.

Master Fung's eyebrows flew up as Omi's eyes began to shift from blue to an eerie, sickly green. "Your time to peer into Jermaine's past is over, Omi," he murmured, edging closer to his student and taking his hand, squeezing it gently. "Pay attention, young monk. What visions do you see of his present?"

Omi squeezed his hand right back, gazing up at something neither Dojo nor Master Fung could see. "I see a jungle. ...Jermaine, JERMAINE!" The young boy leapt up to his feet, bringing his hands to his cheeks as his face glowed with joy. _"He's alive! Jermaine is alive!_ He is walking through the trees, he has no injuries! Except..."His smile fell. "There is something strange about his arm. And..." His expression grew thoughtful, and just a little bit angry. "...He is with Jack Spicer."

Dojo stiffened, gripping tightly onto Master Fung's robes. "Does he have the-"

"No," said Omi, shaking his head. "Jack is no longer wearing the Crown. Neither of them seem to have it. Hang on - I need to hear what they're saying." As Master Fung and Dojo glanced nervously at those words, Omi's eyes narrowed in concern. "They are arguing most vehemently about something. I believe...they are searching for someone." He paused. "The girl. The girl from the beach. She ran away." He paused again. "They believe she might have taken the Crown."

"Can you tell where they are?" asked Dojo, jumping off of Fung's shoulder and tugging on Omi's pants "Any landmarks? Signs?...Anything?"

"I do not see anything that could tell us exactly where they are," said Omi, stepping forward and looking around. "But it is very warm here, and there are mountains everywhere. I wonder if - wait." Omi's breath began to quicken as his eyes changed from green to a warm, deep pink. "Wait, no, _please,"_ he begged, reaching up into the air and trying to pull the visions back to him. "Just a little more time! I need more time!"

"Omi, it's revealing his future to you!" Master Fung stood up and held Omi gently by the shoulders."Perhaps you can see where they will go to next! What do you see?"

Omi stared into space, his eyes aglow as the scene in the jungle disappeared. For a moment, all was darkness.

Then.

A city at night. Flashing lights and people in fancy clothing. His mouth burning with the taste of a food he could not name. Walking through a dark cave. Stars over a desert. The smell of cigarette smoke. The sounds of the ocean. A bathroom. Someone crying from within a stall. Omi's eyes moved back and forth as he tried to understand what he was seeing, feeling and hearing. "I..."

"What do you see, Omi?" he heard Master Fung say, but even as he spoke those words, the images and sensation began to rush through the young boy's body even faster than before - laughing, paper tigers, sitting on a moving train, a blizzard, Chase Young's face, a pair of cracked goggles around his neck - everything came at him from all sides, and Omi took a step back, trying to shake the visions away. "I don't know. Nothing...Nothing I see is making any sense!" He clutched his head and doubled over, shutting his eyes as the endless waves of colors, sounds and sensations began to split his skull open from the inside. His eyes began to flicker back and forth from pink to an all-too familiar gold. _"I-it's too much, make it stop!"_

 _"Omi!"_ Rushing forward and throwing his arms around his trembling student, he looked over his shoulder at Ceridwen's Cauldron, now glowing gold in the center of the room. "Dojo, the cauldron!" he shouted.

Leaping into action, Dojo grew to the size of a horse and swatted the Shen Gong Wu across the room with his tail, causing the potion within to spill across the floor and hiss loudly as it disappeared into the air. The Gaelic words glowed brightly once more before they faded, and Omi's eyes went back to normal. The young boy sagged in Master Fung's arms, breathing heavily, and Dojo flew over to him, holding him tight and inspecting his face. "Kid, are you alright?!"

"We must try again!" cried Omi, trying to stand up. "We-!"

"No!" shouted Fung, the tone in his voice causing both boy and dragon to cringe. "The Wu is corrupted, and I will not risk your life for its knowledge once more! Who knows what it would do to you?!"

Omi and Dojo fell silent, and Master Fung's fierce expression softened at the way they were looking at him. He held out his arm for Dojo to slither up onto, and he knelt down and gave Omi a big hug. "You have....already been hurt enough, young monk."

"...I...I almost had it." Omi's voice broke as he buried his face into Master Fung's chest. "I was so close."

"You saw enough, Omi." Fung reassured his student, patting him on the back one last time before pulling away. "Jermaine is alive, and he is well. And Jack Spicer may not have the Crown, but he is no longer under its influence. That," he said, nodding sagely, "Is victory enough for now."

Omi gave him a weak smile, but it did not reach his eyes. "But we still do not know where they are."

"Don't worry, kid," said Dojo, winding around Omi's head and patting it gently. "We're going back out there soon enough, and we'll find them. Them..." His face grew serious. "And that stupid Crown."

Just then, the door to the room opened, and a wizened old man gave them all a deep bow. "Brothers," he announced, "It is time for all of us to meet in the Meditation Room and discuss this matter." He straightened up, his face grim. "We cannot postpone this any longer. If we are to be successful in obtaining the Crown of the Monkey King, we need to form a plan of action as soon as possible."

"But, shouldn't we wait for Raimundo?" Omi walked over to Ceridwen's Cauldron and picked it up off the ground before looking back at the two elders. "He is the leader of the Xiaolin Dragons. He has a right to be there. Even if..." He fell silent, looking away and biting his lip.

"I have been informed by Brother Seon-Yeong that he has awakened," said the elder, walking over to Omi.

"He has?!" cried Dojo, leaning forward.

"He has?!" cried Omi, his face lighting up.

"Yes," nodded the elder. "But Brother Seon-Yeong is still not sure if he will be able to be there for the meeting. His condition is...well." He coughed. "He needs his rest. As much as we would love for our Raimundo to be there, we cannot ask him to push himself so hard for our sake."

"Oh," said Omi sadly. "O-Of course, Master Wei."

Master Fung reached out and squeezed Omi's shoulder before turning to Master Wei. "We will be there soon, Brother Wei."

Master Wei bowed and left the room.

"Master Fung," said Omi, his face desperate. "I know it is not proper to keep everyone waiting, but may we please stop and see Raimundo before we head to the Meditation Room? Please, I have to see him! He is-!" Tears began to form at the corners of his eyes. "He is my best friend."

"Calm yourself, Omi," said Master Fung as he reached out and patted the boy's head. "I was actually headed that way myself."

At Omi's surprised smile, Master Fung grinned warmly. "Let the elders wait. I wish to see my student, awake and alive, and nothing will keep me from doing so." Letting out a deep breath, his eyes grew distant and tired, and he suddenly seemed so much older than he already was. "Seeing the five of you arrive the way you did..." He trailed off, and before Omi could realize what was happening, Master Fung had enveloped him in another big hug. "I am so lucky for all of you be home," he murmured.

"But, we're not all home," whispered Omi sadly, clinging onto Fung. "Jermaine is still out there, somewhere. Lost to us."

"Jermaine's not a baby, Omi," said Dojo, squeezing in between the two with a big hug of his own. "He's got street smarts, his Tiger Instincts, and more sense in his little finger than most people have in their entire bodies. And you've SEEN how he fights. I know you're worried about him kiddo, but trust me." He smiled. "Jermaine's one of the toughest cookies I've ever met. He may be missing, but he isn't lost."

\--------------

"We're lost!"

"We're _not lost."_

Swatting away a swarm of gnats, Jack tripped over a tree root and fell flat on his face. His hair a mess and his clothes smeared with dirt and mud, he shot a glare at Jermaine, who was walking a few steps ahead. "Are you kidding me?! We're lost!" he snapped, pulling himself back up and motioning to something on his right. "We've walked past that stupid rock formation fifteen times already!"

"I know!" said Jermaine, looking back. "That's, uh, on purpose." At Jack's disbelieving expression, he looked away nervously, scratching his face. "I'm using it as a landmark! It's supposed to keep showing up!"

"It keeps showing up because we've been walking in circles for hours, Jermaine!" Jack groaned, rubbing his temples in exasperation. "Can you _please_ swallow your pride and acknowledge the situation we're in?! The sun is going down soon, we have no shelter, no weapons, no food, and we have no idea where we even are!"

"You think I don't know that?!" shouted Jermaine, scaring the birds out of the nearby tree as he finally broke. "It's the only thing on my mind! Could you please not stress me out right now?! I'm trying to focus!"

"Yeah, focus on getting us more lost!"

_"Ugh!"_

"Hey, can't we take a break?" Jack held a hand to his stomach, pouting. "I'm starving!"

"Yeah, so am I, but we can't just stop!" Ignoring the way his own stomach was growling, Jermaine turned to Jack with his hands on his hips. "We gotta keep moving! That girl-"

"Might need our help or be lost or be dead, blah blah blah blah _blah, give it a rest already!"_ snapped Jack. He slicked his hair back and batted his eyelashes, his voice going up an octave as he threw on a perky smile. "Ooh, look at me~! I'm Jermaine~! I'm _SO_ special because I tag along with the Xiaolin Dragons and get to play superhero because my best friend's the Dragon of Water~! Aren't I just the _coolest?"_

"Now you're just acting childish," muttered Jermaine, looking away in secondhand embarrassment.

"Just admit that you messed up, Mr High and Mighty!" said Jack, jabbing his finger in Jermaine's chest.

Jermaine sputtered for a bit before he managed to form actual words. " _I_ messed up?!"

"Yeah!" Jack shouted. "If you hadn't tried to play the hero and chase after some random girl, we wouldn't be stuck out here like this!"

"If _you_ hadn't used the Crown and messed up the Tiger Claws, neither of us would even BE in this jungle!" said Jermaine, his hands beginning to form fists.

"If _you_ and your shrimpy little boyfriend hadn't tried to take it from me, maybe I wouldn't have had to **use** it!" shrieked Jack, and in his anger, he shoved Jermaine hard enough to send the shorter boy falling to the ground.

Jermaine sat up, seeing red. "Okay, you know what?! _**That's it!"**_

Jack's eyes grew big as Jermaine leapt at him, and soon the two were scrambling around on the ground, attacking each other with everything they had. Jack was no fighter, but now, tired and scared and furious at all that had transpired that day, he was beyond his usual cowardice. He fought back, taking as many shots as he could, or trying to. But his spirit and his fire were no match for Jermaine's raw skill and strength, and soon, Jermaine had him pinned to the ground, putting him into a choke hold and forcing him into submission. So caught up in his anger and frustration at the redhead, Jermaine almost didn't see what was rising up over the trees ahead. But he did, and his face grew blank as he caught sight of what was just over the horizon.

"Ow! I give, I _give!"_ cried Jack, trying to loosen himself from Jermaine's hold.

Suddenly, Jermaine let go of him, and as Jack lay coughing on the ground, Jermaine slowly stood up. "Hey, you see that?"

"See what?" muttered Jack, getting to his knees and rubbing his neck as he followed Jermaine's gaze. But he soon forgot about the fight as he saw what Jermaine was looking at. "Is that smoke?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

It was indeed smoke, a dark smear of grey against the orangey-pink sky overhead, coming from somewhere up the steep hills overhead. Jermaine stood there gazing up at it for only a moment longer before he began to walk again. "Let's follow it."

"What?" asked Jack, looking back down at the shorter boy.

"I got a hunch that this is her. It has to be. I know it."

"Oh, _yeahhhhh!"_ said Jack, every word dripping with sarcasm. "Of _course_ it's her! How could anyone deny the factual, scientific basis of a _hunch?"_

Up ahead, Jermaine twitched, silently wrestling with the delicious temptation of roundhouse-kicking Jack in the face.

"Look," sighed Jack, walking over and throwing his arm around Jermaine. "I get that you're one of the 'good guys' and suicidal optimism is kind of your schtick, but that smoke could be coming from _anything!_ How do you know it's her?"

Jermaine ground his teeth, a fire burning in his dark gaze as he let out a long, steady breath. "I don't know anything about what might happen, a'ight?" he muttered quietly. "But I know I have to keep going." And with that, he continued on, not even sparing another glance back.

Jack watched him walk away, something glimmering in his eyes. He blinked, and it disappeared as he tried to come up with something to say to that. "I-! Well we-! Y-you-!" But finally, he gave up, groaning loudly and marching after Jermaine. "Your stupid altruism's gonna get us both killed," he muttered.

The two boys began to walk up the steep path ahead, making their way through thick bushes and over rocky dirt as they followed the smoke, ignoring the blisters on the soles of their aching feet. Finally, as they made their way to the top of the rocky path, the smell of burning wood filled their noses, and a distant voice could be heard:

_The truth is stranger than all my dreams_  
_Holy darkness got a hold on me_  


They glanced at each other, a glimmer of pride in Jermaine's eyes, and the faintest hint of defeat in Jack's. They closer they got, the more they could understand the words of a song neither of them recognized, just ahead through the dark trees: 

_I have seen what the darkness does_  
_Say goodbye to who I was_  
_I ain't never been away so long_  
_Don't look back, them days are gone_  
_Follow me into the endless night_  
_I can bring your fears to life_  
_Show me yours and I'll show you mine_  
_Meet me in the woods tonight_  


Finally, Jermaine walked around a large rock, nudged his way through the ferns, and there she was.

The girl from Newfoundland was sitting on a log in front of a roaring campfire, stripped down to a blue undershirt, bare feet and black leggings as her other clothes dried out nearby. Her hair a mess, her bare feet caked with mud, she whistled the melody and held her hands up to the flames, warming them as she continued to sing. She did not notice she was being watched. _"Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh......La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da~"_  


Jermaine crept forward, his hands in his pockets. "Hey."

**_"Aaah!"_ **

The girl panicked and fell off the log at the sudden and unexpected sound of his voice. Scrambling to her feet with a tree branch in hand, she looked around for the source, her hair falling over her bad eye. "Who's there?!" she cried, tightening her grip on the branch.

"It's okay, it's okay!" said Jermaine, holding his arms up in surrender as her eyes fell on him. "It's just me! It's just me."

She straightened up, lowering the branch as recognition dawned on her face. "You're the boy from the beach," she whispered, astonished.

Jermaine nodded, smiling in relief. "It's good to see you again, kid. You, uh..." He cleared his throat, trying to think of something to say."Y-you good?"

He immediately regretted that sentence, his face heating up as he glanced around her meager little campsite, her ripped and dirty clothes, her lone fishing boot, and her black eye, which had gotten worse since he had last seen her. But she broke the awkward silence with a snort of laughter, grinning back at him. " _Never_ better," she said teasingly, leaning up against a nearby tree.

"THERE you are!"

From behind Jermaine, Jack came crashing through the trees, throwing his hands up in exasperation, and shoving Jermaine out of the way. "Do you have any **idea** how long we've been looking for y-?!"

_**"AAAAAAAAH!"** _

Jack stopped dead in his tracks as the girl screamed, grabbing the tree branch and beginning to swing it around at random. _"S-stay back!"_ she cried, her eyes bright with fear. _"Don't you come any closer!"_

"AAAAAH!" screamed Jack, as he stepped backward, dodging her blows, stumbling and falling to the ground. "Not the face! _Not the face!"_

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said Jermaine, grabbing the girl from behind by her waist. "Chill out!"

 _"Keep that freak away from me!"_ she screamed, trying to wiggle out of his grasp and away from Jack.

"He's not gonna hurt you!" cried Jermaine. "He's not gonna hurt you, I swear! You ain't in any danger!"

"Are you kidding me?!" she cried, squirming out of his arms and turning to face him. "You were _there!"_ She pointed at Jack, who cringed away at the expression on her face. "You _saw_ what he did to those other kids!"

"That wasn't actually him!" Jermaine pleaded, walking in front of Jack so she wouldn't attack him again. "He doesn't even remember doing any of that! He told me so himself!"

"And you _believed_ him?!"

"L-listen, listen!" stuttered Jack as he stepped forward with his hands up in surrender. "I know you're scared, a-and I know you're still mad about the whole "breaking and entering" thing. We got off on the wrong foot but-" He reached out to touch her hand gently, stumbling over his words. "J-j-just give me a minute to explain-!"

 _"Get your hands off of me!"_ she screamed, backing away, shaking as she fumed with rage. "Why are you talking to me like we're friends?! You think I've forgotten what you did to my _town?!_ My _face?!_ MY _DAD?!"_

"Your..." Jack went still, her words sinking in as he tilted his head. _"What?"_

The girl stared at him, her breathing unsteady as she seemed to realize what she just said. And just like that, tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, and she broke down and started to cry, sinking to the ground and burying her face in her hands.

"Yo..." murmured Jermaine, as he took a step back.

Jack stared at the sobbing girl, eyes looking around awkwardly as he stood rigidly, unsure of what to do or say next. "Uh. Well. _This_ is happening," he muttered to himself, tugging at his collar. He took in a sharp breath through clenched teeth, pointedly avoiding looking directly at her. _"Yikes..."_

Suddenly, something shoved him forward. Jack glanced back, meeting eyes with Jermaine, who motioned for him to say something to her. Jack gulped and tiptoed closer to the girl, breaking out in a nervous sweat. _"Hey,"_ he began in an overly friendly voice, reaching out to her again, then thinking better of it as he pulled his hand back. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay, you don't need to cry! Or, maybe cry if it makes you feel better, I don't know....uh." He knelt down beside her. "Do you....want to talk about our feelings?"

Behind him, Jermaine slapped his forehead.

The girl raised her head, and Jack swallowed whatever words he was about to say next as he saw the dark expression on her face. "Shut up," she hissed through clenched teeth. "Just shut your _stinkin'_ mouth."

Jack yelped as she reached out and pulled him close until their noses were touching, her hot breath tickling his skin. "You're some kind of stupid if you think I'm gonna listen to _anything_ you have to say."

"Then listen to what I've got to say."

Jack blinked in surprise as Jermaine gently pulled the girl away from him, easing her hands away from Jack's shirt. He knelt down next to her, his eyes warm, but serious."If you won't hear him out, then at least hear _me_ out. You can trust me. I won't lie to you, I promise." He held one hand up, like a man swearing an oath before a court. "From here on out, everything I'll ever say to you is the truth. Just give me a chance to talk. Please."

The girl eyed him warily, scanning his face for any signs of dishonesty. But when she found none, her expression softened, and she wiped the tears out of her eyes with the back of her hand. "...All right," she said finally, as she got up and walked back to the log she had been sitting on. She sat herself down, her eyes still red from crying and her face blank.

"Start talking, Chief."

\----------

Time passed, slowly but surely. The sun sank lower in lower in the sky as the three sat around the fire, listening to Jermaine speak, about the Xiaolin, about the Heylin, about Shen Gong Wu and everything in between. Occasionally, Jack would pipe up to mention something or add on to whatever subject Jermaine was on, but he was always cowed into silence by the glare the girl always gave him whenever he did. Finally, Jermaine sat back. "And....that's it," he finished, his jaw sore. "Now we're here, and we've found you, and..." He swatted away a mosquito buzzing in his ear. "Yeah."

The girl said nothing, staring into the fire.

Jermaine let out a deep breath, holding his head in his hands. "Look, I-I know it sounds crazy. All this talk about good and evil, and magic and elements, b-but i swear it's all true, all of it, and-"

"I believe you," she said quietly, not looking up.

Jack and Jermaine blinked at her in surprise. "You _do?"_ they asked in unison.

"Yeah." She smiled bitterly. "I do."

"Wow, that's...I mean." Jack reached down, grabbed a stray piece of wood, and tossed into the fire, watching the fire consume it. "I mean, I've been a part of this Xiaolin/Heylin business for three years, but if someone explained it all out loud to me, I probably wouldn't fall for it."

Her nose wrinkled as she shot him a glare. "I ain't _falling_ for anything, skeet. But I can't deny anything I've seen. This is...this is real," she sighed, a note of fear in her voice. "I don't really want it to be, but it's real." She lowered her head, her hair falling over her face. "Might as well accept it."

"So, what now?" asked Jack, looking over at Jermaine. "We've got one Wu to work with, but it's-"

"All janked up, I know," said Jermaine, looking at the Golden Tiger Claws on his hand. "And it could go active. I'd pull it off if I could, just so we wouldn't have to deal with that again, but..." He shook his head. "It won't let me."

"Right," said Jack, scooting away from the Wu. "And in the end, that's probably for the best. We don't know how long it's gonna be like that, or if it's gonna be stuck that way, forever, but it's still a way to get home." He fiddled around with the machinery on his wrist, trying to get it to work again. "That's our only transportation, and relying on it might get us killed, or worse. For now at least. In other news, I lost my helipak somewhere, and all my other tech is ruined." Scowling in frustration, he used the fingernail on his pinky to unscrew something open and mess with the wires inside. "If I had some tools, maybe I could -! _Ah, what's the use?"_ He drooped in defeat, taking the gadgets off his wrist and tossing them into the bushes. "There's too much water damage to salvage anything. I can't even use my GPS to pinpoint where we are." 

"We're in South America."

Jack and Jermaine whirled around to face the girl, her words catching them offguard. _"What?"_ they asked in unison.

The girl didn't answer, and instead stared into the fire for a long time, watching the flames eat away at the wood in absolute silence. Then, almost as if she was forcing herself to do it, she took a deep breath in through her nose and stood up. As she walked away, she motioned for them to follow. They looked at each other in confusion, but trailed behind her obediently.

She led them through the brush, guiding them under tree branches and around bushes until the jungle gave way to a mountain cliff, clear and open with a perfect view of the world below. She walked to the edge, staring at something in the distance, and they followed her gaze, their jaws dropping as they saw what he was looking at.

"That's...." Jermaine took a step back, feeling a little dizzy as he stared at something he had only seen in school textbooks before. "That's-!"

"Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas," said the girl, leaning up against a nearby rock and looking out at the ancient city on the opposite mountain. "Founded in 1440, abandoned in 1572, located 2,340 meters above sea-level in the Andes mountains of Peru." She crossed her arms in a matter-of-fact way, her voice never losing its casualness. "We probably landed somewhere on the Inca trail when we fell through that last portal." 

She admired the view for a moment, before glancing over to her male companions, both of whom where frozen in shock with eyes as big as dinner plates. She nudged Jermaine with her elbow, grinning at his bewildered expression. "Yeah, pretty incredible, right?" She put her hands on her hips, beaming at the sight. "Here we are, with a perfect view of one of the greatest wonders of the ancient world...." Her smile grew tight and forced. _**"And me without my Jesus camera."**_

Jack began to laugh, his voice devoid of any actual humor as the others looked over at him with raised eyebrows. "You're kidding," he said, continuing to force himself to laugh, nervous and desperate as he stared out at Machu Picchu. "Y-you _are_ kidding, right?"

She glowered at him, her eyes cold. "You think I'm making this up?" she asked, snorted and shaking her head. "Don't know how things work where you come from, boy, but on _my_ planet, it's pretty hard to fabricate an entire city from another mountain away."

"W-well, _okay,_ " said Jack, backpedaling as he turned to face her. "The city's _obviously_ real, but how do we know it's _Machu Picchu?"_

"Listen here, **Red,** " spat the girl as she marched over to him and jabbed a finger in his chest. "Machu Picchu's been on my bucket list since I heard it even _existed._ I've always wanted to come here and take a photo of it myself. It's been my dream since I was FIVE. I've been planning a trip here for _years,_ b'y, and I've seen enough photos of this place in travel sites and textbooks to _know_ it when I _see_ it!"

Jack gulped, as she regarded him and Jermaine with a deathly serious look in her eyes. "We're in Peru, thousands of miles away from Newfoundland with no supplies, no food, and no one to help us. **Accept it, _embrace it, try not to die."_**

Suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, she pulled something out from behind her back with a manic smile, holding it up to them. "Blueberry?" she offered in a cheery voice.

The boys stared at her with blank faces, and slowly shook their heads no.

She shrugged. "Suit yourself." And with that, she popped the blueberry into her mouth, squeeing in delight at the taste. _"Mmmm~,_ sho _good!"_

"You're... _really_ chill about this," said Jermaine slowly, eyeing her up and down. "Like... _really_ chill about this."

"Yeah, you're taking this way too well," agreed Jack, scratching his head awkwardly. "It doesn't seem healthy. Did you, I don't know, hit your head on a rock or something?"

The girl rolled her eyes and stepped on Jack's foot, hard. Jack began hopping up and down. _"Owwwww!"_ he cried.

"I'm _fine,_ Chief," she answered as she glanced at Jermaine and sat herself down on a nearby rock, looking out at the mountain vista again. "I'm just all cried out. I spent the past five hours havin' the **biggest** mental breakdown of my _entire_ life. I cried, then I screamed. Then I blacked out. Then I cried some more. I think I threw up a couple of times over there,' she said, pointing to somewhere behind them, ignoring their grossed-out expressions. "And you're gonna have to watch out for that. And now I'm just...kind of empty," she finished, shrugging. She pulled her knees up to her chest, watching as the sun began to sink behind the mountains. "I'm tired, I'm stranded, I've got nothing to work with except whatever's in my pockets, and crying _isn't_ gonna save me right now." She frowned, lost in thought. "I don't have time to shed tears or feel sorry for myself anymore, boys." She narrowed her eyes. "I need to _survive."_

She was quiet for a moment, feeling the wind blow through her hair before she looked back at the other teenagers, only to realize they were staring at her as if a pair of wings had grown out of her skull. Turning bright red, she stood up, taking her hat from out of Jermaine's hands and putting it on her head. "B-besides, I'm here looking at Machu Picchu! It's literally right over there!" she chirped, pointing a thumb back at the city. _"That's_ pretty neat! I mean," she admitted with a nervous chuckle, "I had to be forced into a magic portal against my will after being caught up in the battle between good and evil in order to get here, but _hey,_ I'm _here!"_ she finished, breaking out into laugher. She continued to laugh even as Jack and Jermaine glanced sideways at each other with concerned expressions.

"W-why are you laughing?" asked Jermaine carefully, after thirty solid seconds of forced, cheerful laughter.

_"Because I really need something to laugh about right now, b'y,"_ said the girl through a clenched smile, turning to him with unblinking eyes. 

"O-kay," said Jermaine cautiously, taking in a deep breath through his teeth. He stepped forward and held her hands in his. "L-let's just take a deep breath. Come on, breathe with me. In, out, okay, now let's do it again..."

Jack watched with a bemused expression as Jermaine guided the girl through a few de-stressing breaths. He made his way over to the two of them, leaning against a tree and crossing his arms, mulling over her words. "Well," he said finally. "If we're in Peru, then we're in Peru. It is... _what it is._ But this still leaves one question unanswered."

"Yeah?" asked Jermaine, as the girl looked over to Jack. "And what's that?"

Jack narrowed his eyes at the girl, stepping forward. **"Where's the Crown?"**

There was a beat of silence. The girl stared at him blankly for half a minute before she tilted her head in confusion. "....Wwwwwhat?"

Jack threw up his hands in disbelief, his eyebrows rising. "The Crown? _The Crown of the Monkey King_ , the Shen Gong Wu we were looking for? _Where is it?"_

"Wasn't it with you?" she asked slowly, looking him up and down.

"You - " Jack sputtered, clutching the sides of his head. _"You don't have it?!"_

"Uh, no, why _would_ I?" She crossed her arms and scowled at him. _"You're_ the one that stole it outta my room, and you're the one that put it on! Shouldn't _you_ have it?"

Jack quailed under her stare, and he ignored Jermaine's raised eyebrow as he struggled to come up with something to say. ".....I...u-uh...A-about that...." He swallowed, but said nothing more as he gazed down at his shoes.

The girl snorted in disgust. "I don't believe this," she said with a bitter laugh, taking a step forward and shoving him. **"You lost it?"**

"I-I-I-I didn't _mean_ to," whined Jack. "I just-! I-I-I-I mean-! I didn't MEAN to!"

She shook her head at him, revulsion in her eyes. "You're pathetic. That boy who made the ground move was right - _you **really** are a mistake."_

"Oh yeah?!" cried Jack, swelling up with rage. "At least I'm not an absolute pain to deal with!"

"You think you know pain?!" she shouted, reaching out and lifting him up off the ground with a pair of well-toned arms. _"I'll show you pain, you conniving little skeet!"_

 _"Stop calling me that!"_ screamed Jack, his face turning red as he kicked helplessly in midair. _"I don't even know what that is!"_

"Hey, hey, hey, that's _**enough!"**_

Jermaine forced the two apart as they struggled to claw at each other like angry cats. The two blinked at him, surprised by his strength. "We are _not_ going to waste time fighting each other, a'ight?! I ain't got the patience, or the energy, or the _time_ to deal with _**ANY**_ of that!"

Both Jack and the girl stared at him, taken aback by his outburst. Jermaine quietly collected himself as he released them and nodded at the girl. "It's just like you said, kid. We don't need to be crying or feeling sorry for ourselves. We gotta **survive,** and we gotta do it together. So for now, let's call a truce." He crossed his arms. "When we get back home, we can all go back to the way things were before, hatin' on each other, clownin' on each other, but right now? **We're a team. _And we're all we got."_**

Jack let his words sink in for a moment, before turning to face the girl again. She was staring back at him as well, an unreadable expression on her face as Jermaine gently nudged her closer to Jack. They stood before each other, rigid and nervous and both loathing the silence between them.

Finally, Jack gave up, standing up straight and clearing his throat. "Jack Spicer, Evil Boy Genius. Uh..." He held his hand out to her, the corner of his mouth jerking up in a dorky grin. "Truce?"

Her face slowly twisted into a fierce scowl, and she punched Jack in the groin with as much strength as she had, causing Jermaine to involuntarily cover his own crotch with his hands protectively. Jack keeled over in pain, sinking down onto the ground as he let out a long, high pitched noise. The girl walked over him, not-to-subtly stepping on his hand as she walked back towards her campsite. **"Die in a fire, you friggin' skeet."**

And with that, she disappeared into the trees.

"That, uh...that could have gone better," mumbled Jermaine, rubbing his arm as he watched her leave. Letting out a deep sigh, he crouched down and nudged Jack, who was still curled up in the fetal position, whimpering in pain. "Yo, you alright, man?"

"I thought Canadians were supposed to be _polite,"_ Jack squeaked. He slowly raised his head, tears of pain glittering in his eyes as he glared at the direction she had gone in. **"Jeez!** What is her _deal?!"_

"That is the stupidest question I have ever heard, and I'm gonna do you a solid and pretend I didn't hear it." Jermaine stood back up, crossing his arms and watching as Jack peeled himself back up to his feet. "Let's be real, Spicer, after everything you did to her - "

Jack opened his mouth to protest.

"- BEFORE you put on the Crown - "

Jack promptly closed his mouth.

"I'd say her beef with you is pretty justified," finished Jermaine, raising an eyebrow at him.

Jack looked back, his face turning pink before he turned away. "Whatever," he muttered bitterly.

"Look," said Jermaine, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "I ain't exactly hyped about this whole situation either, but let's just _try_ to get through it. As soon as we can, we get this girl home, and then we track down the Crown of the Monkey King and get it back to the Dragons, ay-sap. What do you say?"

"Yeah, _that's_ happening," laughed Jack as he pulled away from Jermaine's touch. "What is this 'we' you keep talking about? As far as I'm concerned, that Wu's **my** property. I found it-"

"First, I know." Jermaine's eyes grew dark as the memory of Omi's terrified face flashed across his mind. _"And look where that got us."_

Jack fell silent.

There was an awkward pause, and finally, Jermaine turned away. "I can't deal with you anymore today, Spicer." He walked into the trees towards the campsite, refusing to look back at Jack's saddened, hurt expression. "Peace."

Jack stared after him, opening his mouth to say something. But instead, he turned around, stomped over to the edge of the cliff and sat, crossing his legs and glowering down at the ancient city below.

Clenching and unclenching his hands in an effort to calm himself, Jermaine walked through the jungle, listening to the sounds of night creatures chirp and cry out all around him as the last rays of sunlight disappeared behind the mountains. Overhead, the stars slowly faded into view. It didn't take long to him to reach the campsite, and he stopped when he saw the girl seated on the log, turned away from him.

He was still for a moment, wondering what to do, before finally clearing his throat. "Can I...sit here?" he asked, stepping forward.

"Sure. Pull up a seat, b'y," she answered, not looking back, and she scooted over to make room for him.

Jermaine said himself down beside her, his mouth quirking up in to an awkward grin. "Thanks," he said.

She nodded, still not looking him. "You're welcome."

Minutes passed as the two stared into the crackling flames, avoiding eye contact and very much aware of the other's presence. Finally, after taking a deep breath, Jermaine looked over to the girl. "So-"

_"No,_ I'm not gonna punch you in the dick," she sighed huffily. "Relax, Chief." 

_"I was actually gonna say that this is a nice fire,"_ said Jermaine slowly, nodding to the flames in front of them. 

"O-oh!" The girl turned red and looked away again, embarrassment rolling off of her in waves. "T-thanks."

"I've never made one before," Jermaine said cheerfully, trying again. "Was it hard to get it going?"

"Y-yeah, it took me a while to get it started," she said, laughing gratefully as she took his cue. "I'm...getting rusty."

"Rusty?"

"I used to go camping a lot with my brothers," she explained, sitting back as her eyes grew distant. "We'd go on all sorts of adventures together, and then after a day of swimming and fishing and hiking, we'd all sit down to a campfire, just like this."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I...I love campfires," she admitted. "The way the sound, the way they smell. And it's because of those times we had together. If I close my eyes, it's like I'm back there with them again." She shut her eyes, smiling softly at the memory. "It's like everything's back to normal."

"Sounds like your family is pretty nice," murmured Jermaine.

She frowned, opening her eyes as the warmth left her voice. "Yeah. _Sounds_ like it."

The two were quiet for a moment, enjoying the warmth of the fire, before she suddenly sat up and raised an eyebrow at him. "You know he's playing you like a fiddle, right?

Jermaine looked over to her in surprise, taken aback by her words. "Sorry?"

"Red back there," she said, nodding her head in the direction of the cliff they had left. "He's lying to you." She rolled her eyes. _"Obviously."_

"Uh." Jermaine raised an eyebrow, not understanding. "About w-?"

"About being possessed and not meaning to do what he did!" she sighed, frustrated. "You saw him. We _all_ saw him." She shook her head. "None of that was an accident. He tried to kill us, and if your friend hadn't stopped him, he would have gone through with it."

 _"That's not true!"_ protested Jermaine.

Something rustled in the bushes behind them, and both teenagers whirled around in alarm. But it was nothing but a small, furry forest creature, who skittered away as soon as it made eye contact. Jermaine turned back to the girl, lowering his voice. "That's not true."

"It is and you need to accept it," she hissed. "No matter how much it hurts. If Red had his way, we both would be dead." Her eyes narrowed. "We just got lucky."

"You can't be sure about that," said Jermaine, shaking his head. "I mean, y-you _just_ met him today. You don't know anything about him. How do you know he's lying?"

"How do you know he's _not?"_

Jermaine closed his mouth and looked down, quiet for a moment and mulling over her question. "...Because he's not," he said finally. "That Shen Gong Wu...It's evil. Like... _real_ bad news. Master Fung - the guy I was talking about earlier - he said that this Wu is different from the others. Shen Gong Wu are magical things that anyone can use, good or evil. But this one... _you_ don't use _it._ _It_ uses _you."_

The girl said nothing, watching him quietly.

Jermaine sat back, staring up at the stars and running a hand through his hair. "Jack's...I ain't gonna make excuses for Jack. He's a rotten dude, okay? He's a liar, a crybaby, a backstabbing rat, but he ain't _malicious._ He steps all over people to get what he wants, but not because he likes to see them get hurt. He's..." Jermaine looked back at her. "He's not good, but...he's not that bad."

The girl smiled sadly before she shook her head and reached for something in her pocket. "You're too good for your own good, b'y," she said, a twinge of affection in her voice.

Jermaine's eyebrows flew up in surprise as she pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her jeans, watching as she removed one out of the box with her mouth and lit it with a lighter she fished out from her other pocket. She took in a deep, steady drag before tipping her head and blowing some smoke up in the air. "One of these days," she said quietly, "You're gonna try to save someone, and they're just gonna stab you in the back and leave you for dead." She watched the smoke disappear into the sky, her face blank before she looked away and shook her head, tapping the ash off of her cigarette. "Wait and see."

Jermaine was quiet for a moment, unsure of what to say to that. His mouth settled on words before his mind did. "Y-you smoke?" he found himself asking awkwardly.

"Only on bad days." She glanced at him with a flat expression. "I'd say this qualifies, yeah?"

He laughed nervously, looking away. "Y-yeah."

"You want a dart? Might help take the edge off."

"I'm good, thanks."

A peaceful silence grew between the two, broken only by the insects around them and the gentle crackling of the campfire. After a while, Jermaine glanced over to the girl, trying not to be obvious about it. She was busy blowing smoke rings up into the air, trying to make each one bigger than the last. She was so caught up in it, she didn't even notice the way he was eyeing her long, sandy blonde hair, or her deeply tanned skin, or her warm honey-brown eyes. She must have been about sixteen, just like him, but in the light of the bonfire, she looked far too tired and far too old. Suddenly, Jack's words from earlier came rushing back to him.

_"YOU were the one that used the Tiger Claws! She's lost in this jungle because of you!"_

Jermaine felt a familiar emotion, acidic and intrusive, began to eat away at his insides. He let out a sigh and scooted closer to her, catching her attention. "I'm...I'm sorry," he said softly, scratching the back of his head. "This is sort of my fault. You being here, I mean. You weren't supposed to get caught up in all this, and now, you're stuck here, with us. But I promise you, one way or another, we're gonna get you back to Newfoundland."

The girl blew one last smoke ring up into the air before speaking. "Yeah? And how are you gonna pull that one off, Chief?"

Jermaine shook his head and looked at his feet. "I don't know, but you didn't deserve _any_ of this mess, and I ain't gonna quit until you're back where you need to be." He looked back at her, his eyes full of determination. "I'll do whatever it takes to get you home."

Her eyes widened at the sincerity in his voice, and she burst out laughing, self-consciously tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I almost want to believe you," she admitted shyly.

"You should, because I'm gonna make it happen." Jermaine grinned as he held out a fist for her to bump. "Count on it."

The girl snorted, but accepted the fist bump with a grin, prompting them both to chuckle. She took another long drag of her cigarette and blew a few more rings up into the air before smiling at him. "...Thank you," she said softly, her cheeks turning pink.

Jermaine smiled back, turning to her and holding out his hand. "I'm Jermaine. Jermaine Forrester. What's your name, kid?"

She reached out to accept his handshake. "I'm-"

"EW! Oh, _gross!_ _**I just stepped in puke!"**_

The two turned to watch as Jack came storming out of a bush, hopping around on one leg and gagging. He glared at the girl, his face still green. "Hey, Canada! Couldn't you have thrown some leaves over this or something?!"

The girl's eyes hardened, and she lowered her hand as she watched Jack scrape his shoes on the ground. Jermaine eyed her nervously. "Uh-"

"I'm gonna turn in for the night." Shaking her head in disgust, she put her cigarette out and got up, turning to leave without so much as a glance back at Jermaine. "There's a blueberry bush and a stream with drinkable water just around that rock. Help yourself. See you tomorrow."

The girl walked to a tree, jumped up in the air to grab a branch, and began to climb up into it like it was second nature. Soon, she was completely hidden by the leaves, and Jermaine turned back to watch Jack continuing to gag as he wiped his feet on the ground. _**"Man!"**_ he whined as he looked over at Jermaine. "Have you _ever,_ in your life, met anyone who's as much trouble as her?"

He huffed and crossed his arms, but when he glanced over at Jermaine, he froze at the expression on the shorter boy's face. "...What?" he asked.

But Jermaine just scoffed and turned away, settling himself down by the fire and gazing into the flames without another word.

 _"What?_ What'd I say?!"

\--------

"Is everyone here?"

Steadying his breath, Clay took his eyes off of the lantern in front of him and looked up.

The Meditation Room was filled with every last member of the Temple, from the youngest Apprentice to the oldest, most distinguished elder. They sat on their cushions, waiting patiently and breathing in the heady incense together as they watched one of the other elders shake his head. "No, we are still waiting for Master Monk Guan. Master Fung, The Dragon of Water and the Temple Guardian also have yet to arrive." He looked over to someone sitting to his left. "Master Wei, did you not summon our Brothers?"

"I did indeed," said Master Wei, nodding. "I am not sure what could be-"

But the whole room fell silent as the doors to the room opened. Clay leaned forward to get a better look, and his face paled at what he saw.

Master Fung and Master Guan walked into the room, sitting themselves on the two cushions on either side of him. Behind them, Omi followed, walking beside Raimundo, who was being pushed into the room in a wheelchair by the doctor everyone else had met earlier that day. Clay swallowed as Seon-Yeong wheeled Raimundo over to an empty space on the opposite side of the room, with Dojo scowling at the hushed whispers of the other Xiaolin monks as he curled himself protectively around Raimundo's shoulders. If he was bothered by them, he didn't show it, staring straight ahead with his usual nonchalant confidence.

As Seon-Yeong settled the wheelchair into place, Raimundo's eyes met Clay's, and he winked, giving him a soft smile.

Clay's ears turned red and he nodded back, attempting to smile before looking away quickly, finding something painful about the eye contact. Gripping his jeans tightly, he brought his eyes up again to Raimundo's legs, and bit his lip at the empty space just below his friend's left knee.

"Young Dragon," he heard one of the elders begin cautiously. "It is good to see you with us again, but please, do not feel obligated to-"

"It's cool, dude," said Raimundo, laughing. "I get that you don't want to force me to be here, and thank you, but...I want to be here. For my team." An edge of iron creeped into his voice. "Is that alright with you, Master Hui?"

There was a brief moment of silence. "O-of course," conceded Master Hui finally.

"Is everyone here?" asked Master Wei.

Clay didn't have to look up to see that everyone was nodding.

"Then let us begin. Master Fung? Would you please state the purpose for this gathering?"

“Very well," said Master Fung, bringing his sleeves together. "The Crown of the Monkey King has been revealed. It became active last night, and after I recognized the...omens...I sent the Dragons, along with a Wudai Warrior by the name of Jermaine Forrester, out to retrieve it. I believe it was out in one of the Easternmost provinces of Canada." He paused. "The Dragons fought valiantly to retrieve it, but an enemy - Jack Spicer - found the Wu before they did and used it." Master Fung let out a near silent sigh. "And the results were...as to be expected."

"What exactly came of the encounter?" asked one of the younger elders, a middle aged man in his thirties.

"Much destruction and chaos, but there are three main problems that we need to discuss." Master Fung straightened up. "The first is that the Crown of the Monkey King has corrupted every last Shen Gong Wu in our possession. As a precaution, the Dragons left the Temple with all the Wu we had in order to have every last advantage available to accomplish their mission." His eyes grew sad. "This was a miscalculation on my part. By allowing them to do this, every Wu came into contact with the Crown's magic and are either completely useless, or far too dangerous and unpredictable to be trusted."

"Some of them seem to have a mind of their own now," noted someone in the back row.

"Yes," said Fung, nodding, "And our safest course of action right now is to keep them in the vault until we can find a way to reverse the effect."

 _"If_ we can reverse it," muttered a young apprentice behind Clay. Clay lowered his eyes, his face heating up.

"The second problem we must acknowledge," continued Master Fung, "Is that two of our own came into direct contact with the Crown's magic as well. The Dragons of Fire and Water have had their connection to their Xiaolin element, in some sense, corrupted as well. At the present moment, Omi no longer has any power over water or ice. He has been locked out of his own Xiaolin element -"

Next to Master Fung, Omi looked down into his lap, trying to put up a tough front even as the fear was written all over his face.

"And Kimiko...has been locked into hers."

Clay let out a deep breath and reached out to pat the lantern sitting in front of him comfortingly. From within the flames, two bright blue eyes looked up at him sadly, before turning back to face Master Fung.

Master Fung nodded at Kimiko solemnly, and reached out to put his arm protectively over Omi beside him. "It is most unfortunate that their elemental powers have been affected so seriously, and sadly, we cannot say when the effects of the Crown's magic will wear off."

" _If_ it wears off," said the apprentice behind Clay. Her hearing still as sharp as ever, Kimiko began to crackle angrily at the apprentice's words, growing brighter and bigger and threatening to break the glass of the lantern, but she calmed down when she caught sight of Clay's concerned face. Determined to be completely present for the meeting, she swallowed her pride and turned back to the conversation at hand.

"Master Fung, you mentioned three problems," said an elder with thick spectacles. "What is the final issue we must discuss?"

"The third issue," said Master Fung, bracing himself, "Is that, in the aftermath of the chaos, our young warrior Jermaine attempted to use the Golden Tiger Claws after they were corrupted. The portal forced him, Jack Spicer, and an innocent civilian into itself, along with the Crown of the Monkey King." He bowed his head. "And we have no idea where they are."

Clay cringed and Kimiko flickered nervously as the Meditation Room was suddenly filled with the roars and outcries of the other elders, warriors, monks and apprentices, all shouting over each other.

"That's terrible!"

"That much power?! Alone, unchecked?! It could be the end times if a Heylin obtains it!"

"It could be the end times if someone doesn't obtain it, who knows what it's capable of?!"

"Now, now," said Guan, speaking calmly over the distressed voices, "Everyone calm yourselves. The situation is a grim one, yes, but we cannot get anywhere unless we all come up with a plan of action together."

"Indeed," said Master Fung, as everyone around him quieted down. "We have two major objectives: Finding the Crown of the Monkey King and bringing it back to the Temple is our first and foremost priority, but of equal importance is finding Jermaine, Jack Spicer, and the civilian girl and ensuring their safety. Now," he said, sitting back. "What can everyone here do in order to make this possible?"

"We've already sent a message to the other Xiaolin Temples of the world informing them that the Crown of the Monkey King has returned," said a nearby elder, bowing respectfully. "We can send word about this turn of events. The eyes of the Xiaolin are everywhere; if our brothers and sisters of the world find the Crown, or the three missing youths, they will aid us in bringing them all here safely."

"In the meantime," said another elder on the opposite side of the room,"It seems that Dojo is in enough of a stable condition to be able to sense out the Wu."

"You better believe I am, pal," said Dojo, puffing his chest out proudly. "Just say the word and I'm ready to go! I am **not** letting myself get taken down by that Crown again! Not again!"

Some of the elders laughed in delight at the little dragon's bold words, but their faces grew serious when Master Fung cleared his throat.

"It seems," he said with a smile, "That our Temple Guardian is ready to take on this daunting challenge. But," he sighed, his grin fading,"That still leaves the question - who will go with him?"

"Me."

Everyone's eyes fell on Clay as he held his hand up, his face blank as he tried to ignore the weight of a thousand stares closing in on him from all sides. "I'll go," he said. "I still have my Earth element, and my health, and I ain't about to let this world fall into 10,000 years of darkness or worse." He steadied his breath. "I'll do what it takes to bring the Wu, the girl, Jermaine, and J...Jack home."

"And I will be there with you!" declared Omi, shooting up onto his feet. "I will not rest until this wrong is righted again!"

"Young Dragon," said Master Wei calmly, "Your determination has always been one of your most admirable qualities. But, you must remember that, for the moment, you are unable to call upon your Xiaolin element." He tilted his head, his eyes glimmering with sincere concern. "Are you confident that you can handle this task without them?"

"With all due respect, Master, I do not have a choice," said Omi, bowing to Master Wei. "I promised Jermaine that I would be there for him if he needed me, and right now, he needs me." He stood back up, his face resolute. "I may not have Water by my side, but I am _still_ a Xiaolin Dragon. _**And I can still fight."**_

A warm laugh broke the silence, and Omi turned to Raimundo, still chuckling in his wheelchair. "If there's one thing that will never change about you," he said, grinning, "It's that you really know how to be a good friend."

Omi's face turned pink as he smiled back, and even Clay felt the sides of his mouth twitch upwards. A few seats over from him, Guan chuckled too. "Well said, Bobo," he teased. "And so very true."

_"I want to come too!"_

Everyone fell silent, craning their necks and shifting to get a better view of the lantern where Kimiko resided. Her eyes burned bright as she crackled and flickered passionately, speaking again, her voice slightly muffled behind the glass. _"I know I'm nothing but pure fire right now,"_ she pleaded, glowing brightly, _"But I'm still their teammate, and I am STILL a Xiaolin Dragon! I want to do whatever I can to help!"_

There was an awkward pause, broken only by the sound of Kimiko's flames popping and crackling behind the glass of the lantern. Bracing himself for her reaction, Master Monk Guan took a slow breath in through his nose and shook his head. "I'm afraid...that cannot happen, Kimiko."

The flame shrank, the blue eyes within wide with hurt. _"W-what?"_

Master Monk Guan sighed and stood up, walking over and kneeling beside her. "Kimiko, I have lived for many years, and I have seen this power time and time again. You have learned to harness one of the hardest, most difficult skills for any Xiaolin Dragon to master - the power to merge completely with your Xiaolin element. It is something you should be proud of. It is a wondrous power." His face hardened. "But it is also quite dangerous."

 _"I-I can be careful!"_ Kimiko began to flicker again as she shifted around anxiously. _"I can stay far away from things like gasoline and, and paper, and I won't get near others! I swear, I won't let myself hurt other people-!"_

"Young Dragon," sighed Guan, "I wasn't saying it would be dangerous for others. I was saying it is dangerous for you."

_"...Master, I don't understand."_

"When you become Fire itself," explained Guan patiently, "You become liberated from all the weaknesses of your human form. But in doing so, you accept the limitations of this one. Like fire, you must constantly consume things around you to keep burning. Like fire, you will not burn without oxygen present. Like fire, you are vulnerable to strong winds, ice, water, and anything else that can extinguish flames. And let me be clear - you ARE flame, Kimiko. And once you burn out...that is the end for you."

Kimiko gazed up at him, but said nothing. Guan stood up, his eyes filled with sympathy. "Merging with your element is one of the most powerful states you can be in, but you leave yourself open to so much harm in other ways. And," he sighed, "Now that you have been frozen into this form, I'm afraid none of us here are willing to risk your life just for the chance of obtaining the Crown of the Monkey King."

 _“S-s-so what,"_ asked Kimiko, trembling and casting an unsteady light on the walls. _"Am I just supposed to sit here and wait to return to normal, while Omi and Clay handle this on their own?”_

“No," said Master Fung, standing up and walking beside Guan. "They will not be alone. _We_ will join them in your place." He sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Perhaps, if we had offered our assistance to you before, we could have prevented this.”

"There is nothing to be gained in dwelling on past regrets," said Guan, touching Fung's shoulder lightly. "Yesterday his history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. Today, we take control of this situation, together."

"How soon can the four of you leave?" asked someone timidly.

"Tomorrow morning," said Fung confidently. He glanced back at Omi and Clay, nodding at them. "Will you be able to leave as soon as that?"

"Of course, Master Fung!" reassured Omi. "If that is when I am needed, then that is when I leave!"

Master Fung's gaze moved to Clay. The young man nodded seriously, and somewhere a few feet away, Master Wei cleared his throat. “It has been decided. Master Fung, Master Monk Guan, the Dragon Of Water and the Dragon Of Earth will leave tomorrow morning to pursue the Crown of the Monkey King, and bring Jermaine and the others home. All those in favor?”

“Aye,” said the Elders.

"Aye," said the Warriors.

"Aye," said the Apprentices.

 _"No, please wait!"_ Kimiko looked around the room, her heart sinking as she saw everyone's hands beginning to fly up. _"I don't care how dangerous it is for me, I want to be there for my team! They need me! Please let me go with -"_

**"Aye."**

Kimiko fell silent at the unmistakable sound of Raimundo's voice. Sighing deeply, Rai looked over to her from his wheelchair, bitter regret in his eyes. "I'm...sorry, Kimiko," he said quietly. "But I'm your Leader, and I say that you stay here. You can hate me for this, you can be mad about this, I...I _get_ it. But we're not..." He swallowed. "We're not losing anyone else. Not if I have anything to say about it."

Kimiko shrank to the size of a lighter flame, and said nothing more.

"Very well," said Master Wei. "This meeting is adjourned."

Clay watched, numb, as the others around him began to stand up and file out of the room, one by one. He glanced down at the lantern, brow furrowing in concern at the dim light. "K-Kim?" he asked, leaning forward. "You okay?"

 _"I'm...not fine,"_ she said quietly. _"I'm okay, but I'm not fine."_ She sniffled like she was crying, and she shrank down until she was just an ember. _"I'm...Can you please give me a minute, Clay?"_ she said in a trembling voice. _"Maybe go and find some more wood or leaves for me if you can? I'm...burning kind of low."_

"Y-yeah," stuttered Clay as he gently reached out and picked her up. "Yeah, I can do that."

He walked her out of the room and to a quiet corner where she could get some privacy. Leaving her lantern in a high safe place, he bid her goodbye and walked outside to the courtyard. For a while, he busied himself with finding dry twigs and leaves. He never even noticed that others had walked out after him until they called out his name.

"Yo, Clay!"

Clay whirled around, his heart skipping a beat as he saw Rai, Omi, and Seon Yeong walking over to him, Seon Yeong once again pushing Raimundo's wheelchair. 

"It's good to see you, dude," said Raimundo, eyeing the bandages on Clay's head and arms. "How've...how've you been holding up?"

"I-I'm doin' all right," stuttered Clay. "How...?" He swallowed. "How are you?"

"I'm here," whispered Raimundo, smiling. "And that's good enough for me." A beat of silence passed before he reached over and pulled Omi close, giving him a noogie. "Hah! Bet you two thought you wouldn't have to put up with me anymore, right?"

"Nonsense, Raimundo!" cried Omi, turning around with hurt eyes. "We were all very worried! And we are so grateful to be together with you again."

"D'aww," giggled Raimundo, pinching Omi's cheeks. "Could you be any cuter?"

"S-so," stammered Clay, not noticing the way he was nervously crushing the twigs and leaves in his hands. "Are y'all really okay with this? Letting us...y'know...go off on our own?"

"It's fine, Clay," said Raimundo, smiling. "I mean, come on. Look at me. I'm in no condition to be out on a mission with either of you." He grinned. "I'd only get in the way." Taking a deep breath in, he raised his arm, manipulating the night breeze to fly past the windchimes all around them, filling the air with sweet sounds. "And this mission is bigger than me, and it's bigger than you. And it's gonna be tough, you two both KNOW that. I want to fight, and I want to be there for you, but I can't, and I...I am **not** about to drag you down, either of you."

Clay swallowed. Omi stood back, chilled by his words. "Raimundo..."

Raimundo shook his head, still smiling. "The two of you can handle this one without me, and without Kimiko. I know you can. And you won't be alone either - you've got Master Monk Guan and Master Fung looking out for you. And Dojo, of course."

"But-"

Suddenly, the wind chimes stopped singing, and Raimundo lowered his arm, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. Panting softly, he looked up at the concerned faces around them, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry. I, uh. I'm tired."

"It is best if w-we go back t-to your room for the n-night, Young Dragon," said Seon Yeong, speaking up for the first time. "You n-n-need your r-rest."

"Yeah, you're right," nodded Raimundo, turning to him. "But...can I just have a few more seconds. Y'know..." He scratched the back of his head. "To say goodbye?"

"O-of course," said Seon Yeong, and he gave them some space to talk, turning around.

"Well. This is it." Raimundo sighed and turned to Omi and Clay. "I'll be here, looking after Kimiko." He reached out to touch their shoulders, looking straight into their eyes. "Keep each other safe. No matter what you run into out there, never let it make you forget how strong, how smart and how brave you really are." He pulled them close for a hug. "I love you guys. Good luck. And goodnight."

With that, Raimundo motioned to Seon Yeong, and soon, the two were heading back into the Temple, leaving Omi and Clay alone in the courtyard.

"Clay," said Omi, watching them leave. "Did Raimundo seem...off to you?" When there was no answer, Omi turned around, his eyes widening as he realized Clay was no longer standing there. "Clay?" he called out, looking around. "Clay, where did you go?

\------------

"I'm sorry."

Out in the forests beyond the Temple walls, Clay sank deeper and deeper into the quicksand, clutching his head as he felt the earth slowly beginning to swallow him up. He knew he wasn't in any real danger - Earth was a steady element and it had never betrayed him, even in his darkest moments of fear or anger or sadness - but he still tried to steady himself so the ground would return to normal again. But there was no steadiness or stability in the churning chaos within his heart. Clay trembled, snot running down his nose as he began to sob silently. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry - "

"Clay?"

Gasping through his choked sobs, Clay's head snapped up at the sound of Omi's voice calling out to him through the trees. The young boy rounded a tree, his face brightening up in relief as he saw him. "Clay!"

But his smile fell when he saw the quicksand, and the way it rose to Clay's hips, and the tears steady pouring down Clay's face like a summer rain. "Clay..." he murmured.

Clay opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He tried to sputter something through the tightness in his throat when Omi began to wade through the quicksand slowly, carefully making his way to the older Dragon, ignoring Clay's broken warnings. "N-! Wha-! Omi, d-do-! Omi, y-you'll get h-hurt!"

But Omi paid no attention, even as she sank lower and lower into the muck. Finally, he reached Clay and without a single word, threw his arms around him, giving him the biggest, warmest hug of them all.

Beneath them, the ground began to stabilize and turn back to normal. And as it did, Clay finally broke.

"I'm _sorry,"_ he whispered, carefully reaching up to hug Omi back. He shook with the force of his sobs as he let himself cry for the first time that day, and Omi hugged him back harder, keeping him together as he fell apart. _"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!..."_

\------------

In the depths of a mountain, a Heylin witch chuckled as she watched the two boys embrace. _"Awww,"_ said Wuya, gazing up at the cauldron smoke. "Poor Clay, blaming himself for what happened to his team." Wuya rolled her eyes. "How typical. Why are the Dragons of Earth always _so_ prone to carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders?" She snorted and cackled evilly, her laughter bouncing off the high ceiling above. "Well, I suppose there's _some_ good in this situation, if the Xiaolin Dragons get to suffer a little." She waved a hand through the smoke, and the scenery changed to Dojo and Master Fung desperately trying to speak to Kimiko inside the lantern. From the way she avoided their eyes, it was obvious she was in no mood to talk. Wuya grinned. "United they stand, but divided..." She let out another wicked laugh.

Around her, the jungle cats sat quietly, watching the images in the cauldron smoke, and the crow flew down onto Wuya's shoulder to get a better look. "I have to say though," said Wuya, glancing over to the bird. "Despite everything, I still have my... _concerns_ knowing that such a powerful artifact was last seen with Jack, of all people." Her face grew serious and thoughtful. "Hmm. ...Pass me some of that nightshade."

The crow cawed indignantly at her.

"Well if you're going to sit there and chaperone, you might as well help out here!" she snapped. "And don't act so high and mighty, you want to know what happens as much as I do."

The crow rolled its eyes and flew off to find her potion ingredient, and soon, Wuya was stirring it into her brew. The cauldron glowed brightly, before more plumes of smoke began to fill the room."Ah, there we are," said Wuya. "Let's see how our Three Amigos are doing."

She waved a hand over the cauldron, and the smoke grew thicker before dissolving away into a dark jungle at night. Two teenage boys were curled up around a campfire. Jermaine slept quietly, his chest rising up and down in peaceful slumber, but Jack tossed restlessly in his sleep, whimpering and twitching, embroiled in nightmares. Up in the branches of a nearby tree, a nameless girl leaned up against the trunk and looked up at the stars. 

"Hmmm," said Wuya, frowning up at her face. "There's something strange about that one. Something I can't quite put into words. I... _wait."_

Wuya watched as the girl suddenly sat up and quietly peered through the leaves down at the boys below. She stared at them for ten solid seconds, waiting for any sign that they were watching her, before carefully turning around to face a hole in the tree. Looking over her shoulder one last time, she reached in and pulled something out.

In the faint light of the campfire, the Crown of the Monkey King glinted with an air of mischief as it sat in her hands.

Wuya raised an eyebrow. "A _ha_."

The girl bit her lip and ran her hands along the Wu, deep in thought, before she set it down on her lap and quietly removed her hat. Taking in a deep, shaky breath, she raised the Crown over her head with trembling hands and, after a moment's hesitation, quickly put it on. She cringed at the feeling of the metal against her forehead, and shut her eyes tight, bracing herself as if something terrible was about to happen.

But nothing did.

She opened her eyes again slowly, letting out a small, incredulous laugh as she reached up to touch the Crown. But just then, Jack began to mutter something down below, and she jumped in panic, nearly falling off the tree branch. She yanked her hat back onto her head and over the Crown as fast as she could, before looking over her shoulder and peeking down at him in fear.

But he was still asleep, muttering nonsense under his breath as he rolled around in the dirt, shivering from his own restless dreams.

The girl swallowed and sank back up against the trunk of the tree, sagging in relief. A moment or two passed before she fished around for something in her shirt and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Within moments, she was looking up at the stars once more, taking in a deep fortifying drag with a worried expression on her face.

Wuya watched all of this with a wicked grin, intrigue twinkling in her eyes. "A traitor in their midst. Well, what do you know?" Smirking, she looked over to the crow on her shoulder and winked. "Better go and make us some popcorn, bird. It looks like things are about to get _interesting."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Road trip?
> 
> Road trip.
> 
>  What up, y'all? Thank you for your patience! Shout out to my beta readers Kit and Sea from the Xiaolin Discord! Thank you for your time and advice! And as always, thanks for reading!
> 
>  
> 
> \----
> 
> Songs that inspired this chapter (and some scenes that they especially influenced):
> 
> Black Flies, by Ben Howard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NPA__ra9uY  
> (pretty much every scene involving the Xiaolin Dragons)
> 
> Meet Me In The Woods, by Lord Huron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJOsLdBqbPA  
> This is the song Mystery Girl is singing)
> 
> The Night We Met, by Lord Huron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtlgYxa6BMU  
> (Jermaine and Mystery Girl's conversation)
> 
> Kids Will Be Skeletons, by Mogwai: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX8ebGCzGeo  
> (The entire chapter overall tbh, but especially the end)
> 
> Dark Doo Wop, by MS MR: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_xZv2KqGVU  
> (The darker parts of the chapter)
> 
> and of course,  
> Alone Together, by Fall Out Boy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuNTFGnVm4k  
> (i named the chapter after it, because i can, i'm the writer, i can do what i want, don't question it)


	8. Hong Kong Hijinks (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the Vegas lights  
> Where villains spend the weekend  
> The deep end  
> We're swimming with the sharks until we drown  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW. 
> 
> like...WHEW.
> 
> This chapter was SERIOUSLY a challenge to write, even though it's been one I've looked forward to writing for a while. Nothing ever turns out the way you think it will when you're brainstorming these chapters. Uh, it turns out that I actually had to split this one in half?! Which I was sort of hoping to not do since this fic is going to be long as it is (i might as well call it the Journey of a Thousand Chapters), but...had to do it. Sorry. It would have been weird (and exhausting) if I didn't otherwise.
> 
> On the bright side, the next chapter (aka the other half of this one) might come out sooner! I'm hoping it will, anyways! I try to write as fast as I can, as well as I can, whenever I can. So sorry for the slow updates (i try not to go over a month if i can help it) but know that your patience is greatly appreciated. I am forever grateful for you giving this a chance, and for some of you regulars, for following it.
> 
> Hope you like it, though! Writing it was....a doozy, so hopefully it packs a punch for you readers out there.
> 
> Also, i'm trying to play around with font, and what it can do to help, uh..."get the point across," as pertaining to certain characters. my mega big centered font back in chapter 6 was playing around with that concept, and i'm trying to experiment a little here too. So, let me know how you guys feel about that. I want it to enhance the fic, not completely ruin the experience.
> 
> Anyways, have fun! Enjoy! And as always, thank you for reading!
> 
> EDIT 4/28/2019: If you're rereading this, yes, I did change the name, and I'm sorry for not posting it with that correction made.

Over the sound of ocean waves rising and falling like slow, deep breaths, Jack heard a voice. "I knew this was coming. And I didn't stop it."

Jack opened his eyes.

Groaning softly, he slowly pulled himself up off warm, soft sand and looked around. He was lying on the beach back in Silent Harbor, the lighthouse keeping watch on the cliff up overhead. As he stood up, he saw that the ruin he had last seen it in was gone. There were no fallen warriors, no chunks of destroyed buildings, no spires of rock rising out of the ground. There was nothing but sand and sea and a grey overcast sky. It was the picture of tranquility. 

And it was unnerving to look at.

"Huh," said Jack, shivering a little as he took it all in. "This is...weird." His eyes moved around nervously. "Where's the-? Wasn't it-?" He paused, going very still. "This isn't right. Jermaine, what's going-?"

Jack turned to the person beside him, and his stomach sank like a stone. "W-who the heck are you?" he whispered, taking a step back out of instinct.

The person facing the ocean wasn't anyone he recognized, at least not right away. It was a man, tall and strong, with a shaved head and old-fashioned Chinese clothing Jack had only seen in old paintings. Something about him felt faintly familiar, like a fragment from a forgotten memory, but whoever he was, he didn't answer Jack's question. Instead, he stayed kneeling on the sand, staring down at something he held in his arms. His curiosity overriding his common sense, Jack crept closer to see what it was.

He immediately wished he hadn't.

Jack went white as a sheet and covered his mouth, too horrified to scream as he backed away from the stranger. He gagged, feeling bile rise in this throat as his breath began to quicken. The stranger paid no mind, still looking down at what he was carrying. It was a body, broken, bloody and far beyond saving. Jack didn't recognize them, but he could tell that they were very young. Just a child. Maybe even younger than Omi. 

The thought of Omi being in such a state, of any kid in such a state, made Jack's skin crawl, and he promptly threw up.

He emptied himself on the sands until he was woozy, dizzily standing up and trying to focus his vision. Backing away from the stranger and lost in his own terror, Jack tripped over something. When he looked down to see what it was, to his immense horror, he saw another body at his feet. His heart began to race faster as he caught sight of another corpse nearby, and another, and another. What was once a peaceful beach was now a grisly scene, the sands littered with thousands upon thousands of the dead. Some were floating in the shallow ocean waters, while others lay in heaps as seagulls flew around them, picking at the bones eagerly. In the distance, there were even some people hanging from the lighthouse, eerily swaying in the ocean breeze. Everywhere he looked, there was carnage, decay and death.

Jack wanted to run, wanted to hide and shut his eyes and forget everything around him, but he couldn't move. He was rooted to his spot on the sand, and all he could do was struggle to speak.

He flinched as the stranger on the ground suddenly let out a weary sigh, still facing away from him.

"I've known you were heading down a dark path for a long time now," the man confessed quietly. "But I never wanted to believe..." He shook his head slowly. "I _never_ thought you'd stoop so low. I never thought...金." His voice broke as he brushed a lock of hair out of the dead child's empty, staring eyes. " _我的兒子_..." 

Jack just stared, too confused to speak. The man let out a small, bitter laugh before he looked up at the sky, still not facing Jack. "I saw _all_ the signs," he murmured. "Every last one. But I always _hoped_ you'd remember the way things were. That maybe..." He held the dead child close, his breath hitching in a sob. "You'd forgive me. And we could all go back to being friends."

Something in the man's shirt began to move, and Jack's eyes widened as a small green creature crawled out of his collar. For a moment, he mistook it for a garter snake, or some kind of lizard. But then, it looked back at him, its small yellow eyes filled with tears of heartbreak and betrayal. Jack squinted, taking another step forward as something in his mind clicked. _"Dojo?"_

And suddenly, just like that, Jack knew who he was talking to. 

"I was so stupid. And everyone here paid the price." 

Letting out one last deep breath, Grand Master Dashi gently lowered the dead child onto the ground, closed his eyelids, and stood up.

" _金_ paid the price."

From behind Dashi, a huge wave, over two hundred feet tall, rose with him, blocking out the sun and casting its shadow over everyone below. Jack backed away from the sheer size of the monstrous tsunami, looking up at the rising water in fear as Dashi glared at him with cold, furious eyes.

"I'm done with making stupid mistakes." 

Without warning, the wave came crashing down onto the beach. The water flew around Dashi, Dojo and the dead child like it was nothing, but Jack screamed as he felt himself being swept off his feet, his lungs filling with cold ocean water in seconds. Salt stung his eyes as he felt the currents moving all around him, until suddenly, he burst out of the waves, gasping for air and looking down. Dashi was moving slowly and purposefully, commanding the ocean to wind its way around Jack like a great hand, bringing him closer and closer. Suddenly, Jack felt some of the water crawling up around his neck and cutting off some of his air. "Stop!" he choked out. "What are you doing?!"

"What I should have done a long time ago," Dashi coldly replied.

As he struggled to move, Jack could see other people walking up to him from the sides of his peripheral vision. One was a tall, muscled man in orange robes, carrying a bladed spear in his hand. One was shorter and leaner, with blue robes, a handsome face, and long dark hair. The third was a woman in foreign clothes, with thick curls poking out from under a headscarf and silver eyes that pierced through his soul. In her hands, she held a simple golden crown, tears glistening in the corners of her fierce, stormy gaze as she glared at Jack with unmasked hatred. Wordlessly, she held it out to Dashi, who took it, staring at Jack even as the band of metal began to hover in his hands and glow with a mystical light. 

"End of the line, 孫悟空," he said quietly.

Jack stared at him in silence for a long, long time. Then, something dark, wicked and unfamiliar began to bubble up inside his throat, and he threw his head back and laughed in a smooth, deep voice that was not his. _"You really think this is the end?"_ His shoulders shook as he cackled up into the air like a hyena, the terrible, awful sound echoing through the whole beach while the others before him watched with grim faces. Finally, still snickering under his breath, Jack smiled at them. "Dashi, you _idiot._ You can't kill me. Not anymore." He leaned forward, his voice dangerously low. "I _will_ be back, and the second I break out of your little prison, I'm coming for you. _All of you._ Do you hear me?" Jack chuckled darkly as he met their gaze, one by one. "Every last member of your order, from the weakest most unskilled Apprentice to the strongest and wisest Master - I will crush them all without mercy. There will be no survivors. Not this time." His grin grew wider, vicious and animalistic. "One by one, they will die, until the Xiaolin are just another little fairytale people tell their kids at night."

"Be silent, monster!" shouted Chase Young, finally losing his temper. 

Jack froze and looked over to Chase, cocking his head in surprise. _"You're_ calling _me_ a monster?" He sniggered, his shoulders shaking with mirth. "Oh, that's rich!" he chortled, as he looked up at the Dragon of Fire with a malicious smirk. "You'd know all about being a monster, _wouldn't you,_ Chase Young?"

Chase froze, and Jack laughed at the sight of the confidence diminishing in his eyes. "You know," he said amiably, "I never did like you, Chase, and you wanna know why?" His gaze grew serious and disdainful. "It's because you're such a hypocrite. Always so high and mighty, so _perfect,_ so _noble_..." He frowned. "And too proud to admit that we're one and the same. More than any of these suckers could ever hope to know." Jack leaned forward, his incisors gleaming like knives as he smiled again. "You act like you're so much better than me, but we both know that the only reason you hate me so much...is because I _finally_ got what _you_ wanted." 

_"SHUT YOUR DISGUSTING MOUTH!"_ screamed Chase, his body igniting in flames and sending a wave of heat rushing forward. 

But Jack just laughed again, throwing his head back and kicking his legs at the sight of the man's fury. He laughed and laughed until his ribs began to ache.

He stopped when he felt cold metal against his forehead.

Around him, the four people - Dashi, Chase Young, Guan, and the woman he did not know - all held hands and raised them up over their heads. They began to glow as they summoned the power within themselves, each one's aura a different color - Guan, a deep orange, Chase, a fiery red, the woman, a soft white, and Dashi, a vivid blue. Jack could start to feel the crown on his head heat up, until it was searing his flesh like a hot iron, cutting through to his skull. He howled in agony as the pain changed from a burning and melting sensation to the feeling of his bones being crushed and flattened, then to something that rushed into him and tore everything away from the inside, and finally to an endless, blowing void that left him terribly, terribly hollow. The world around him was fading, and as tears of pain poured down his face, he glared at Dashi, his eyes a bright and fiery gold. "The Xiaolin will fall, your world will burn, and I will take back what you've stolen from me! _I swear it!_ "

Dashi said nothing, his face like stone, and the woman's eyes burned with a righteous fury. But through the haze of pain, Jack could see Guan's jaw set, tears falling down his cheeks. Dojo trembled as he buried his face in Dashi's collar, covering his ears and trying to block out the screams. Next to him, Chase looked on with pure horror, something Jack had never seen before.

For half a moment, he thought he could see a flicker of regret in the man's eyes.

But before he could contemplate it, Jack let out another agonized scream as he felt his body began to dissolve, molecule by molecule. The torture of feeling himself being ripped apart into a billion pieces robbed him of his thoughts and sense, until there was nothing left inside of him but deep, vicious hatred. Knowing that his time was almost up, Jack looked up at the sky, now a brilliant orange from the light of the setting sun, and spat a curse into the world with all the air left in his disintegrating lungs. **"Do you hear me, Dashi?! _I will destroy you if it's the last thing I do!"_**

\----------------

"Jack! Jack! _Wake up!"_

Jerking out of his sleep, Jack shot up off the ground, flailing his limbs as he screamed bloody murder. Suddenly, someone grabbed onto his shoulders and held him still as they evaded his fists. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Chill out, Spicer!" they said, their voice ringing with worry.

Jack stopped screaming and looked into a pair of familiar dark eyes. "...J-Jermaine?" he stuttered, blinking his vision into focus.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jermaine gave him a small smile. As he let go of Jack, Jack stood up and looked around, his head still swimming with images of his dreams. "Where's Dashi? A-and Guan, and Dojo, and-"

 _"Chill,_ Spicer," said Jermaine as he pulled himself up off the grass. "Whatever you saw, it was just a dream. You're okay now."

Still and silent, Jack slumped up against a tree and held himself worriedly, looking down at his feet. "It felt so real," he murmured after a moment, wincing at the dissolving memories. "My head...Dashi..." He shuddered and held a hand to his forehead instinctively. _"The Crown..."_

Jermaine raised an eyebrow in concern at the mention of the word 'Crown.' "You were really wiggin' out on me right now." He tilted his head. "You gonna be okay, dawg?"

Jack looked back at him, his expression vulnerable for a split second before he casually shrugged off Jermaine's hand with a tinge of pink on his cheeks. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he lied, turning to the dead campfire and the trees around them. "So, where's Canada?"

"Uh...that is a good question," admitted Jermaine. "I don't know," He scratched his face awkwardly. "You woke me up with your screaming, like, a minute ago."

"Did...? NO." Jack began to storm through the campsite, his eyes narrowing in anger as he peeked behind a few trees. _"Did she run off on us again?!"_

"Hold up," soothed Jermaine, raising his hands to calm him. "Don't wig out. Maybe she just went for a walk." Jermaine made his way over to Jack and took his hand, not noticing the way Jack stiffened at the touch. "Let's go find her."

A loud growl broke through the morning air, and the two looked down at Jermaine's stomach in surprise. He glanced back up at Jack sheepishly, turning bright red and holding his other hand to his empty gut. "Mmmmaybe we can find something to eat, too?" he laughed.

Jack rolled his eyes and wrestled his hand out of Jermaine's grip with a huff before stomping through the trees. Jermaine watched him go for a moment before following, his awkward smile fading away.

The two boys walked in silence through the misty jungle as the sky overhead brightened from a faint lavender to a promising pink. For a while, nothing was heard but the birds and insects all around. After ten minutes, Jermaine turned to Jack again. "So...Dashi?"

"Huh?"

"You were talking about him earlier," explained Jermaine, his eyes full of curiosity. "Did you have a dream about him or something?"

"What's it to _you?"_ snapped Jack, stopping dead in his tracks and glaring at Jermaine.

"Whoa," said Jermaine, eyeing the way Jack's hands tightened into trembling fists. "Was whatever you saw in your dreams really that scary?"

Jack whirled away and crossed his arms, his jaw set. "Pfft, what are you, my therapist?" His eyes narrowed. "Just drop it, okay?"

Behind him, Jermaine stepped closer as his curiosity bled away into genuine concern. "Come on, man, tell be about it." An awkward silence settled between the two for a while, and Jermaine stepped even closer. "Maybe..." He shrugged, reaching for Jack's hand again. "I don't know. Maybe you'll feel better if you talk it out-"

 _"I don't remember, okay?!"_ yelled Jack as he turned back to Jermaine. The shorter boy took a step back, his eyes wide at the sheer aggression coming off of Jack in waves. The redhead glared back at him in a way that made Jermaine's blood run cold. "Whatever I dreamed about, like, ninety percent of it is gone!" shouted Jack angrily. His expression darkened as faint memories of bodies and blood flickered across his mind, and he shook his head indignantly as if to try to rid himself of them. "I don't remember everything I saw, but I _do _remember hating every second of it, and talking it out isn't gonna help!" He stomped towards Jermaine, jabbing a finger in his chest. "Any reason why you're giving me the third degree right now?!"__

____

____

"Just...trying to be nice, dawg," muttered Jermaine as he took another step back.

"Yeah." Jack cocked his head, his gaze suspicious. _"Why,_ though?

"Because..." began Jermaine, but he closed his mouth and remained silent, eyeing Jack warily.

Jack snorted and crossed his arms, leaning forward with a scowl. "Let me break things down for you, Newbie. We might be stranded out here together, but as far as I know, you're still Xiaolin - " He lifted his hands up, pinching his thumbs and forefingers together. " - By _technicality_ \- " he stressed, much to Jermaine's displeasure. "- And I'm a Heylin mastermind. _The_ Heylin mastermind." Jack stood back, shaking his head and sneering in disgust. "We're not friends. So drop the act. You're wasting your time, and..." He growled and stomped his foot like a spoiled child. "A-and I don't need anyone making fun of me right now!"

Jermaine stood there frozen in surprise for a few more seconds, letting Jack's tirade sink in before he sagged in defeat. "Whatever," he sighed, suddenly sounding very exhausted. "Let's just...keep looking." He turned to walk away. "The sooner we find her, the sooner we can start thinking of a way to get back to the Dragons."

Jack watched him walk away in silent, smug satisfaction, but his eyebrow went up when Jermaine came to a slow stop.

"Oh. And Spicer?"

Jermaine turned to look back at him, and Jack cringed away at the intense expression of fury on the shorter boy's face.

"You better pick a God and start praying that they're all okay," Jermaine whispered in a cold, toneless voice. "Because if they're _not_ \- ."

"W-what, Mr. Goody Two Shoes?" stuttered Jack, puffing himself up and raising his fists. "Y-you gonna beat me up?!"

"Boy, don't you tempt me!" snapped Jermaine as he took a step forward. Jack flinched away and yelped, but Jermaine just stepped closer, an unstoppable force of nature. "If I see even _one_ scratch on Omi when we get back home-"

"I didn't do anything to Omi! Or anyone else!" Jack backed away until he was up against a tree, still trying to sound tough even though his knees were quaking. "We've been over this! _I got possessed!_ I don't even remember what happened!"

"Well if you hadn't put on the Crown-"

"So what, you're still blaming me for that?!"

 _"Yeah,_ I'm blaming you for that! Your actions have _consequences_ little rich boy! Consequences YOU are responsible for! Didn't your momma teach you that?!"

_"Leave my mom out of this!"_

Suddenly, a voice from the other side of the bushes rang out through the morning air. "Hey bud, could you keep it down? I'm trying to eat."

"Sorry!" Jermaine called back distractedly, before reaching out and gripping Jack by his shirt. "Listen up, Spicer, y'all need to - "

He froze, realization dawning on both of their faces. Broken out of the trance of their own argument, they turned to the direction the voice had come from and began to make their way through the bushes and back out to the cliffside view overlooking Machu Picchu. Sitting on a rock, her lips and fingers stained blue with berry juice, was the girl from Newfoundland, wearing the jeans and layered shirts she had dried out the night before. "Mornin' Chief," she said, waving at Jermaine with a smile.

Jack nervously waved back at her, and her warm expression melted away into hatred as her gaze moved over to him. _"Red,"_ she muttered icily.

The redhead took a step back at the tone in her voice, but Jermaine moved towards her, relief washing over him. "Hey, Kid, we were just looking for you. Where'd you - " Out of nowhere, he stopped in the middle of his sentence, staring at the girl like she had grown a second head.

The girl popped another berry into her mouth, raising her eyebrow. "Everything okay there, bud?"

"Your eye," said Jermaine distractedly, his gaze intense.

"What about it?"

"It's.... _better,"_ Jermaine said incredulously, moving towards her for a closer look. 'It's _completely healed!"_

The girl grinned as she reached up and touched her left eye, the ugly bruise from the day before nowhere to be seen on her lovely face. "Yeah, pretty great isn't it? I was getting real sick of only being able to see out of just one."

"But it's _all better!"_ cried Jermaine, holding both hands to his head as Jack quietly inspected her face from a distance.

"Yeah, well, I heal fast," she laughed, shrugging. "No big deal."

"That's-!" Jermaine shook his head. "No, it is a big deal! Because it's not possible! Your black eye _can't_ be better by now. It takes one to three days for the swelling to go down, and then one to two weeks for the bruising to heal."

"Whoa." She laughed awkwardly, glancing around with nervous eyes as she lifted another blueberry to her mouth. "What are you, a medic?"

"No, but my mom's a nurse."

The girl froze, and she slowly looked back up at Jermaine, her expression blank.

"My mom's a nurse," he repeated, sitting himself down on the rock next to her. "She taught me a few things about first aid so I could take care of myself in case something happened. Plus, I'm into martial arts. I've, uh, been in a few fights." He scratched his head nervously, thinking back to the bouts in the underground fighting ring, and the injuries that lasted for weeks afterward. "I know how these things work."

There was an uneasy silence in the air as the two stared at each other, with Jack looking back and forth at them blankly. "Huh," said the girl finally, as she popped the blueberry in her mouth, chewing it without taking her gaze off of Jermaine. "Good to know."

Jermaine smiled nervously at the intense expression on her face, and nearby, Jack raised a suspicious eyebrow at the girl. But after another moment, she shook her head and gestured before her. "So, you hungry? I found breakfast. Grab some if you want."

The boys looked down. Before her on the rock were several large leaves, and piled high on each leaf were colorful heaps of plants neither recognized. "Go on, b'y," said the girl, nudging one "plate" of food towards Jermaine. "I can hear your stomach from here. I know you gotta be absolutely gutfounded by now."

"Uh...Okay," said Jermaine, reaching out for something spongy, white, and completely alien-looking. "I get why the berries are here, but...what are these?" he asked, inspecting the odd plant. 

"Favolus tenuiculus."

"Uhhhhh," he replied, looking up at her and wordlessly asking for mercy. She rolled her eyes with a grin. "They're mushrooms. I found a couple different varieties. They look weird, sure, but they're perfectly edible." She reached out and grabbed it, breaking it in half and taking a bite of her piece while passing the other back to Jermaine. "See?"

Jermaine looked down at the piece of mushroom in his hand, shrugged, and took a small bite, chewing slowly and trying to get adjusted to the unfamiliar, but not unpleasant, taste. Beside him, the girl giggled. "Yeah, I know. It's weird the first time. They _do_ taste better when they're cooked, but I got lazy after foraging for all this and I didn't feel like making another campfire."

"Uh-huh," said Jack, watching Jermaine chew the mushroom with a bemused expression. Scooting closer to the food, he reached out to grab a fiery blossom in his hand. "I'm sorry, are these flowers?" He glanced up at her with concern. "Are you _straight up_ eating flowers?"

"Yeah. They're nasturtiums. They're high in vitamin C and iron."

The boys watched with gaping mouths as she gathered a handful of red and yellow blossoms in her hands and eagerly stuffed them into her mouth. "Peepl yoose them insh salahds," she said cheerfully, petals spewing out of her mouth with each word. "Givsh it real flavur. Try 'em, dere sho gewd!"

Jack and Jermaine sat and watched her devour the flowers, glancing sideways at each other in mild horror. After a moment, Jermaine's stomach grumbled again, and he sighed in defeat and began to reach for some nasturtiums.

"You're not," whispered Jack, disgust creeping over his features, holding his hands up to his mouth. "You're _seriously_ not." When Jermaine turned to him with a solemn expression, he gagged, turning a shade of green.  "Dude, come on, I thought you were better than that!"

"Lay off," muttered Jermaine, flushing pink. "I'm hungry. And, b-besides," he added, inspecting a blossom in his hand, "If they're high in vitamins-"

"Something's high here all right, _and it's not the flowers!"_ Jack hissed, pointing to the girl sitting in front of them.

The girl's head snapped up, and she locked eyes with Jack, who froze with fear at being caught redhanded. She narrowed her eyes angrily as she stuffed her face with more blossoms, until she looked like a chipmunk preparing for winter. "'Oo goff thomething to shay ta me, Red?" she asked, spewing a few more petals out onto the ground.

"Uh...Nnnnnnope!" lied Jack through a forced smile. "Nothing to say here!" He laughed nervously, avoiding her piercing gaze. The girl continued to glare at him unblinkingly, until beads of sweat began to trickle down his forehead and he caved in. "Well," he said, sighing and looking away, "It's just that...these plants are...they look kind of..." He coughed. "Q-questionable."

She rolled her eyes and swallowed the flowers in her mouth, wiping a stray petal off her cheek before speaking. "Look, I know they're weird, but I did the best I could, okay?! I tried to find fruit, but there really wasn't any. At least not where I checked. I forage for food all the time, but only back in Silent Harbor, and Newfoundland has a different ecosystem from the Andes." She looked back at Jack with a poisonously sweet smile on her face. "I didn't think I had to say this Red, but _different plants_ grow in _different places._ " She squished her cheeks together. "What a concept!"

Jermaine snickered and beside him, Jack scowled and crossed his arms, his face flushing red as he muttered insults under his breath.

Jermaine and the girl ate in silence as the birds chirped all around them in the fresh light of morning. After a while, Jermaine watched as Jack kept glancing at the mushrooms and berries in front of him, his fingers twitching as he restrained himself from grabbing anything. Finally Jermaine rolled his eyes and grabbed a handful of small brown mushrooms and held them up to Jack. "Come on, Spicer," he encouraged. "Swallow your pride and swallow some breakfast."

"Pass," said Jack, wincing as a pang of hunger rang through his gut.

"What, you're not gonna eat because you're mad?"

"I'm not going to eat because _I don't know what I'm eating."_

Jermaine frowned, puzzled, as the girl casually popped a berry up in the air and caught it with her mouth, watching Jack curiously. Jack glared at the other boy, narrowing his eyes. "How do I know any of these things aren't poisonous? How do _you_ know they're not poisonous?"

"Uh..." said Jermaine, glancing down at the half-eaten flower in his hand. "W...Well..."

"See what I mean?!" Jack exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "I can't identify plants! _You_ can't identify plants! The two of us are going off of what _she's_ saying!" He glared up at the girl. "But how do we know she's not just trying to make us sick when our guard is down?!"

" _Excuse_ me?!" cried the girl angrily, clenching her knuckles in her fresh rage.

"Spicer! Dude!" Jermaine shouted, whirling around to face Jack. "All she's doing is trying to feed us!"

Yeah! _Why?"_ shrieked Jack, turning to Jermaine. "Don't you think it's funny how friendly she's being to two perfect strangers?! Don't you find it a little suspicious that someone who _clearly_ hates me is offering me a free breakfast?!"

"You might be a real piece of work, Red," growled the girl as she glared at Jack viciously, "But I'm not just going to let someone starve in front of me! I'm better than that!"

"See that?! It's called 'being nice,' Spicer!" snapped Jermaine, looking him up and down. "Would it kill you to try it some time?!"

"It _might!"_ snapped Jack. "Hey, if you wanna be suicidally naive and trust some crazy nature chick you just met, be my guest! But I'm-!"

_"I am not crazy!"_

The two boys turned to face the girl, who had jumped to her feet, dropping her half-eaten mushroom on the ground below. Her eyes were wild and her breathing heavy as she glared at them, her gaze intense. A long awkward silence filled the air after her outburst, like the forest was suddenly holding its breath, watching to see what would happen next. Something in their peripheral vision caught the boys' attention, and they looked down to see that one of her hands was twitching as if it had a mind of its own. She followed their gaze and turned bright red when she realized what they were looking at, and hurriedly hid her hand behind her back with a look of shame on her face. Flustered and frustrated, she snarled and turned back to look at them. "You know what?!" she shouted, walking over to the food and stomping it all to a pulp. "Go ahead and starve! See if I care!"

"Hey!" screeched Jack, his face falling as she crushed the pile of blueberries into oblivion under her bare feet. "I was sort of maybe considering eating those!"

_"And now, you don't get that option!"_

And with that, she whirled around and walked to the far end of the cliff, sitting herself down under a tree and glowering down at the valley below.

"What...was _that?"_ asked Jack, gawking at her in the distance. "I...seriously, what WAS that?!"

"I don't know," Jermaine replied as he stood up and dusted himself off. "But you REALLY need to work on your social sk-" Suddenly, he paused as he caught sight of something on the cliff he hadn't noticed before. He began to walk towards it, and Jack followed.

On the edge of the cliff, over by where the girl was standing, was a pile of rocks patterned into a strange structure. It was tall, taller than Jermaine, and with the way the stones were stacked, it looked remarkably like a person. Jermaine tilted his head in curiosity. "Was that there before?" he asked out loud.

"No, I'm pretty sure it wasn't," answered Jack, rubbing his chin thoughtfully as he inspected it. "I'm guessing someone made it when we were all sleeping last night." His face brightening in realization, he turned back to the girl, still fuming under the tree. "Hmmm...I wonder..." He cleared his throat at her, waving to get her attention. "Hey. Hey, Canada!"

"Spicer, don't," groaned Jermaine, but Jack ignored him and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Hey! Canada! Do you know anything about this..." He paused to look at the stone structure. "This weird rock snowman thing?!"

She didn't answer, and did not move, save for her hand which was still twitching and trembling in her lap. She silently clenched and unclenched it in an effort to control it, but it only shook more as Jack continued on.

"Hey!" he called out, not giving up. "Come on, I'm sorry about what I said, okay? Now, do you know anything about this or not?"

The girl groaned loudly and threw her head back against the tree trunk. _"ᐃᓄᒃᓱᒃ,"_ she muttered, just loudly enough for them to hear.

" _What?"_ they asked, doing a double take.

She sighed and shook her head, forcing herself up to her feet and reluctantly making her way over to them. "Not important. The point is, I built it." There was a glimmer of pride in her angry expression as she looked over at the stone structure. "I built it to guide people over here so they could check out this great view." There was still a layer of iron in her voice, but her eyes were soft as she framed the city of Machu Picchu below with her fingers. "It really is beautiful. Wish my camera was still in one piece. And...with me."

Jermaine said nothing, but looked down at the view below. Something in the ancient citadel caught his attention, and he leaned forward, shielding his eyes from the sun to get a better look. "Yo, guys. Am I seeing right, or are there people down there?"

Jack stood next to him, craning his neck to look. "Yeah! I see them too! Are...are those buses?"

"Machu Picchu's a famous historical site, boys," said the girl, glancing over to them. "Thousands of tourists come visit it every year."

Beside her, Jermaine's face began to light up in revelation, and he beamed, almost glowing with excitement. "Yo, that's it!"

Jack and the girl turned to him, bewildered by the energy he was exuding. "Uh...what's it?" asked Jack, confused by the other boy's sudden good mood.

Jermaine didn't answer, and started to walk around, searching for something while the other two teenagers watched him with wide eyes. Finally, Jermaine found what he was looking for - a stick - and stood on an empty patch of dirt, whirling around to them with a wide smile. "All right, Team! Here's the plan." He drew a large triangle in the dirt and tapped it with the stick "We are on THIS mountain. Machu Picchu-" He paused to draw a second triangle."...Is over here, and over HERE..." He drew several small stick figures on the top of the second triangle. "-Are people who can help us. If we climb down OUR mountain and head towards the other, we'll run into someone, and they can take us back to...uh..."

Jermaine faltered for a moment, trying to think of what to say next, but the girl coughed and spoke. "Aguas Calientes." When he turned to her, she shrugged. "It's a town, it's where a lot of tourists stay when they come here."

"Yeah. Yeah, alright!" Jermaine nodded, pounding a fist into his hand. "And from there, we can find a way to get ahold of the Dragons and get back home!" He let out a small laugh. "This could work!" He turned to the others, leaning on his stick like a cane. "I think we should go for this! The three of us climb down this mountain and look for a main road. If we move now, we could find a way back by sunset. Uh..." He scratched his head awkwardly at their wide-eyed stares. "A-any questions?"

"I got one," said Jack, raising his hand with an annoyed expression on his face. "Who made you Team Leader? Why should we listen to what you're saying?"

"You got any better ideas, Spicer?" replied Jermaine, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "Because I'd love to hear them."

Jack opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, looking away and pouting. _"No,"_ he muttered.

"Alright," sighed Jermaine, trying to shake off the disgust at Jack's petulance. "Any OTHER questions?" His eyebrows flew up as the girl slowly raised her hand. "Yeah, Kid?"

"So what exactly happens after we call your friends?" she asked, standing up and dusting herself off.

"I'm not sure," he confessed. His expression darkened as the memory of the beach came back to him. "Yo, I don't know how everyone else is doing right now, or what they're going through, so...we might have to focus on other things." He looked up at her, his eyes serious. "But the first chance we get, we're sending you back home to Newfoundland."

"Right." The girl swallowed and smiled weakly. "H-home. Yay."

"And the second thing we're gonna do," said Jermaine, standing up straight. "Is track down that Crown again."

"Not if I track it down first," retorted Jack, stomping his foot.

Jermaine groaned, slapping his forehead. "Spicer, you just...you don't know when to quit!"

"Hey, I'm a _villain!_ " said Jack, crossing his arms. "Villains do bad things! Live with it!"

The girl, who hadn't taken her eyes off of Jermaine since he answered her question, shoved Jack out of the way, causing him to squawk and stumble over his feet as she stood before Jermaine. "How are you going to find it? It could be anywhere."

"Remember Dojo? That dragon you saw yesterday? He can sense Shen Gong Wu. No matter where that Crown is in the world, he'll find it and lead us to it."

The girl stiffened, subconsciously touching her hat, underneath which the Crown was still hidden. "And...what are you gonna do to it when you find it?" she asked cautiously.

"...I don't know." Jermaine looked up at the sky, his face blank. "If I had to guess, we'd probably destroy it."

 _"Destroy it?!"_ she cried, taking a few steps back.

"Yeah," he answered, not noticing her reaction. "So no one can ever use it again. Whatever that Crown is, it's evil, and it's a Xiaolin warrior's job to protect others and defeat evil wherever it's found."

From his spot where he had fallen on the ground, Jack snickered derisively. "Jeez, you are so corny."

Jermaine rolled his eyes and turned around. "Come on. We should all get moving before we run out of daylight - " He paused mid-sentence when he caught sight of the girl. She was doubled over, holding her hands to her head, her eyes moving this way and that as she bit her lip in worry. "Uh...Kid?" He crept closer to her, narrowing his eyes as he saw that her hand was twitching again. "You okay?"

She looked back at him, suddenly remembering that he was there, before she opened and closed her hand to try to control her tic. "Yeah, Chief," she lied, forcing herself to smile. "I'm...I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You don't look so good." Jermaine stepped forward and, after a brief hesitation, gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

That was a mistake.

The second he touched her, the Chinese characters on Jermaine's skin began to glow gold again, and the Tiger Claws on his hand shimmered like a newborn star. The characters on his skin began to glow brightly as well, and to the horror of the other teenagers looking on, they began to spread up his arm and into his chest, like burning embers on a piece of paper. Jermaine, eyes wide with panic, fell to his knees and began to scream in pain. _"H..help me!"_ he shouted, tears of pain welling up in his eyes. _"Help me, it burns! Make it stop!"_

"Jermaine?!" Jack stepped forward, then whirled around to face the girl. _"What did you do?!"_ he yelled, his eyes lighting up with rage.

"I-I-I didn't do anything!" she cried, her breath uneven as the fear rose in her chest. She held a hand to her mouth as the clothes on Jermaine's body began to burn away from the heat radiating off of the glowing symbols on his skin. She whirled around, remembering something. "There's a stream back by the campsite! Help me get him to it! Maybe it'll stop the burning!"

Jack nodded nervously, rushing to help Jermaine up. The second he grabbed his arm, he pulled back with a shriek, for Jermaine's body was as hot as an iron. The poor boy continued to scream as he writhed in pain on the grass, which was beginning to smoke and burn underneath him. The girl rushed to him and knelt down by his side, forcing herself to push past the pain and hold him by the shoulders. "Chief! Can you hear me?!" She reached up to hold his face, her voice cracking with fear. "Jermaine! You're going to be okay! _Everything's going to be okay!"_

At that moment, like a light switch was turned off, Jermaine stopped shrieking and was absolutely still as he looked right into her eyes.

"...Yeah, Sweet Pea," he whispered quietly, in a deep, smooth voice. "Everything's gonna be _just fine."_ He winked at her, and as he grinned, his eyes flashed gold.

The girl froze, her eyes growing wide with realization. _"...What are you doi-?"_

 _"Shhhhhhhhhhhh,"_ he whispered, pressing a finger to her lips as he leaned in close. "I got this." He leaned even closer, causing her breath to hitch as he murmured into her ear. "Trust me."

Jermaine - or the thing inside Jermaine - began to chuckle as he stood up off the ground, the characters on his skin dimming until they were glowing faintly like fireflies. Behind him, Jack crept closer, watching him laugh warily as he rubbed at the minor burns on his hand. "J-Jermaine?" he gulped. "You okay, buddy?"

The thing inside Jermaine cleared his throat, before turning back to Jack and speaking in a flawless imitation of Jermaine's voice. "Never better, Jackie," he answered, giving him a smile that sent chills down the other boy's spine. "Never better!"

"O-Oh," stuttered Jack, as he flashed a nervous grin right back at him. "That's...good? B-but maybe you should take it easy for a while and-" Jack froze, his eyes widening as Jermaine, still laughing, began to walk backwards. "Where are you going?"

"Change of plans, kiddos!" sang "Jermaine" as he threw his arms wide open, moving closer and closer to the edge of the cliff behind him. "We're gonna take a little detour!"

"Uh..." Jack took another step forward, fidgeting as the other boy began to get uncomfortably close to the steep, seemingly endless drop that waited just below the cliff. "H-Hey, are you sure you're okay? I think..." He glanced over at the girl beside him, who was frozen in horror, before taking another step towards Jermaine. "I think you should come back over here, where it's s-safe!"

"Tch." The other boy snorted, pausing in his steps for a moment. "You know, for someone who calls himself a 'Heylin mastermind,' you're a real buzzkill." He turned back to face Jack, smirking and revealing sharp incisors. "It's a shame this boy had to spend his last moments with trash like you."

As his words slowly sunk in, Jack's eyes grew big. "You're not..." he murmured, trailing off before he began to march towards him, shaking with fear. "Who am I talking to right now?! _Who's in there?!"_

The thing inside Jermaine threw his head back and laughed, and the others cried out as he stood right at the end of the cliff, his feet teetering halfway off the rock. He rocked back and forth, snickering at the way both teenagers were holding their breath and looking on in terror, too afraid to get closer and too afraid to look away. Finally, he stopped laughing, and saluted them with a wide grin. "Well!" he chirped. "This is where I say goodbye. I'm outta here, kids. Have a good trip!" He threw his arms open and cocked his head, a loud _CRACK_ echoing through the air as he did. _"See you next fall."_

_"Jermaine-!"_

But "Jermaine" just smiled, closed his eyes, and fell backwards off of the mountain.

Out of instinct, both Jack and the girl reached out to grab onto him, desperate and scared, and they too found themselves falling, their hearts dropping out of their chest as they hurtled towards the trees far, far below.

Jack screamed, his voice lost in the sounds of the winds rushing past them as the three hurtled downwards to their death, but the girl was too scared to make any sound at all. She fell, watching the world fly all around her, eyes wide and shining with tears as she flailed through the air helplessly - 

Until someone grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close.

She turned to see who it was, and "Jermaine" winked at her, his eyes shining gold as he waved the Golden Tiger Claws in front of her face. "I've always wanted to use these!" he shouted happily. She watched as he looked back at the ground closing in on the three of them, raising his arm up and beaming with unbridled mischief. "GOLDEN TIGER CLAWS!"

There was a loud tearing sound and bright white light. And that's all she could remember.

\-----------------

The first thing she noticed was warmth on her skin, someone else's breath blowing lightly on her face and giggling whenever she twitched in response. The second thing she noticed was the hard, smooth ground, a far cry from the dirt and grass of Peru.

The third thing she noticed, as she opened her eyes, was the figure crouching over her, peering down at her intently as the world came into focus. Dark skin. Darker eyes. A set of Golden Tiger Claws on his arm. She squinted up at him, ignoring the pain in her head. "...Jermaine?"

His eyes flashed gold as he grinned wickedly down at her. "Guess again, Sleeping Beauty."

".....孫!" she cried, shooting up off of the floor. "It IS you!"

"Bingo!"The thing inside Jermaine began to clap, the sound bouncing off the high walls of the warehouse they were in. "A round of applause for our lovely contestan-OW!"

Recoiling in pain at the sharp punch to his stomach, he looked up at the girl in surprise as she glared down at him with tears in her eyes. "What was THAT?!" she shouted, throwing her hands up in her fury. "What did you think you were doing, pulling a stunt like that?! Do you know how scared I was for him?! For YOU?!" Before he could answer, she rushed at him, throwing her arms around him and burying her face in his shoulder, almost sobbing. "I thought I lost you!"

"You know, dollface," he sighed as he patted her back gently, "We _really_ need to work on getting you a sense of humor."

"This isn't funny!" she snapped, shoving him away. "Why are you here?! _How_ are you here?! What-?" She began to circle him like a shark, looking him up and down with worried eyes. "What am I even looking at?! Why are you inside of him?! Is he still in there?! Is he alive?!"

"Would you _relax,_ kiddo?" said her companion, reaching out and throwing his arm around her shoulder. "He's fine! And YES, he's still in here. He's just...not in control right now," he finished, shrugging causally. "I am."

"But then what was all that you said back there?" she asked. The memory of his ominous words and the way he teetered back and forth on the edge of the cliff made her stomach churn. "Back there you said...you were going to-!"

 _"Acting!~"_ he sang sweetly, hopping in front of her and flourishing jazz hands at her scared expression. "Everything you saw back there? Just a little improv! I wasn't actually gonna hurt him."

"R-really?" she stuttered nervously.

"Scout's honor!" he answered, flashing her a smile as he raised his hand and crossed his fingers.

She stared flatly at him for a beat before he sighed and rolled his eyes, leaning back up against the nearby shelves. "Look, I know this is kind of creepy, but I needed to buy us some time. We are in REAL hot water, baby girl. You can't even imagine." A loud rumble came from his stomach, and he doubled over, shuddering from the pangs in his gut. _"Gods,_ I'm starving," he whined as he began to rifle through the cans of food on the shelf. "Do you know what 1500 years of imprisonment does to your appetite? I could LITERALLY eat a horse. The whole thing. Raw." His face lit up as he caught sight of something, bouncing in childish glee as he pulled it off the shelf. "Ah, here we go!"

The girl watched as her companion pulled out a can of peaches, her eyes widening as he ignored the tab on the lid and bit directly into the metal, ripping the top of the can off with his teeth and pouring all of the contents into his mouth. He chewed loudly, peach juice dripping down his face and neck as his eyelids fluttered with pleasure. _"Mmmmmm,"_ he moaned, already reaching for another three or four cans of peaches on the shelf. "That's the good kush."

"What do you mean by 'buying us some time?'" the girl asked as he bit into another can. "Are we in trouble?"

He froze, looking back at her before sighing loudly and leaning on the shelf, his smile falling. "I hate to break it to you, Sweet Pea, but you really messed up yesterday."

She turned bright red and looked down at her feet. "...I-I know," she admitted."B-but I didn't mean to. I was just..." Her hand began to shake and twitch again as her expression darkened. "I was just SO MAD, and _everyone_ was staring, and before I knew it, I just lost contro-!"

"That's not what I'm talking about, kiddo." 

She looked up at the figure in front of her, and he tapped his face gently. "I'm talking about _this guy._ Him and everyone else on that beach."

"T-they were-"

**_"Xiaolin."_**

She swallowed at the iron in his voice. All traces of humor and mirth had left his expression, and he stared at her intently, not blinking as he stood back up and crossed his arms. "Do you remember what I told you about the Xiaolin?" he asked, his voice taking the tone of a stern father.

"Y-yeah," she answered, grabbing her shaking hand and trying to steady it as she avoided his eyes. "I remember."

"Really," he asked flatly. "Well," he sighed, as he began to circle her slowly with his hands behind his back. "Let's give you a pop quiz anyways. The Xiaolin are...?"

"The enemy," she murmured, looking down at her feet.

He nodded. "Right. And our enemies are...?"

"Not to be trusted, and always avoided."

"Right again!" he sang, winking at her. "The Xiaolin are an order of traitors, liars, hypocrites and thieves. You don't talk to any of them, you don't _listen_ to any of them, and you don't ever let them see you. If you want to live happily, then you do whatever it takes to keep them from knowing you even exist. And what did you do yesterday?"

Her breath hitched as he stood behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, leaning forward and speaking quietly in her ear. "You ran right into a circle of their strongest, most powerful Warriors." His grip tightened until his nails dug into her skin, causing her to wince in pain. "You ran _right_ into the Xiaolin Dragons. Sweet Pea. **_Honey._ "**

****

****

Her heart stopped as he leaned even closer, his breath hot on her neck and a layer of unspoken threats under his words. _"Do you know what they would have done to you if they knew who you were?"_

She opened her mouth, trying to think of what to say. "...It w-was an accident." she stuttered finally, terror making her insides squirm. "I didn't k-know."

There was a long pause before he brought his arms around her, hugging her close as she let out a sigh of relief. "No, sweetie, you didn't. It was an honest mistake." He straightened up and moved in front of her again. "But you need to know that unless you act now, you and I are in for a _world_ of hurt." He grabbed a can of peaches and ripped it open, slurping up peach slices as he continued. "We're both in terrible danger. The Xiaolin know I'm back - for real this time - and they are **_HELLA_** mad about it. They'll stop at nothing until they find me. And when they find me...they'll find you too."

The girl turned to the side, her eyes distant as she contemplated his words, and she slid down the shelf and onto the floor. He did the same, cradling a few more cans of peaches in his arms as he sat himself down next to her. "You thought things were rough BEFORE, honey? No. Now that the Xiaolin are involved, it only gets worse from here on out. They'll hunt us both down to the ends of the earth. We'll never know peace ever again. We'll spend the rest of our lives on the run from their order, hiding in the shadows, living in fear like vermin hiding from the exterminator...unless..."

She turned to him, her eyes shining with tears that didn't fall. "Unless?"

He swallowed another can of peaches in one gulp before answering. "Unless we find what we need to get me out of this stupid Crown." He let out a deep breath through his nose, his nostrils flaring as he crushed the can in his hands. He tossed it away, his eyes narrowing. "Then I'd REALLY show them what happens when you mess with _me."_

"But you're out already!' she said, looking him up and down. "Aren't...aren't you?"

"Nope!" he replied, smirking at her and gesturing towards himself. "This is only temporary, cupcake! When I went up against the Dragons, I, uh, worked my magic and sort of... _infected_ their weapons," he said, waving the hand that was stuck to the Golden Tiger Claws.

"Infected them?"

"Well, I mean," he laughed, picking his nose with his pinky and flicking away a booger, "It's a little more complicated then that, but the concept gets the point across. A little piece of my magic is in each and every one of the Shen Gong Wu that I was able to get in contact with. And it's in three out of four Dragons as well." He grinned at her, winking and puffing up his chest in pride. "Pretty smart, huh? Now all of their weapons - and most of their elite warriors - are out of commission. Well." Her companion shrugged. "For now, anyways."

"Okay," she nodded, "But that doesn't explain how we're talking right now."

"Oy, you're killing me, babe," he groaned, running a hand over his face as he turned to her. "Listen, you know how your weird mortal magic can let you use those funky rectangles to talk to someone halfway across the world?"

"You mean smartphones?"

"Yeah, whatever, funky rectangles, blah blah blah," he nodded hastily as he motioned with his hands. "Well, MY weird magic - and by weird I mean "completely superior and awesome magic" - lets me use whatever I infect as a conduit for myself." He smirked wickedly, tapping his forehead. "The real me is still right here."

The girl wordlessly reached up under her toque to touch the Crown on her head, running her fingers on the smooth, cool surface before sitting back against the shelves.

For a moment, there was no other sound save for the humming of the ventilation system overhead and her companion devouring can after can of peaches. Finally, the girl looked over to him, holding her knees closer to her body. "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything you want, beautiful," he said, sucking peach juice off of his fingers. "Go for it."

She took in a deep breath before speaking. "...Yesterday...at the beach..."

Next to her, he froze, and she hesitated before continuing. "What you said earlier...does that mean that Jack Spicer _wasn't_ doing all of that?" She looked over at him, eyes filled with fear as memories of a rotting meadow and a broken lighthouse came back to her. "That really was all you?"

He stared at her, and her eyes widened at the answer in his eyes. "孫... _how could you?"_

Her companion was silent for a moment before he let out a deep breath. "I did what I had to do," he answered quietly. "If I hadn't, neither of us would be here right now." 

The girl swallowed thickly. "But..." A face flickered across her mind. It was a young Chinese boy, holding out a snowball for her and smiling. "But - "

"Oh-ho- _ho!_ " he laughed, leaning in close and resting his chin on his hand as he peered into her eyes. His smile was dangerous. "Is that _doubt_ I hear in your voice, Sweet Pea?" He snorted and raised an eyebrow. "I warned you, didn't I? When we first started really getting serious about that promise, I warned you that this little venture of ours wouldn't be for the faint of heart." He sat up, crossing his arms. "If you're backing out on me now-"

"I'm not!" she cried, sitting up straight. "I'm not, I swear! I said I was going to see this through to the end and I meant it! A deal's a deal. And..." She sighed, reaching out to take his hand. "And friends don't leave friends behind."

He looked down at her hand, and let out a soft chuckle, lacing his fingers in hers. "No," he agreed. "Friends don't leave friends behind."

At that moment, his eyes and the characters on his skin flickered like a faulty Christmas light, and he bent over in pain, knocking over the cans of peaches beside him. _**"Agh!"**_

"孫!"

She knelt beside him, holding him by the shoulders as his eyes and the characters continued to flicker. He pulled himself up off the ground, breathing as heavily as if he had just ran up ten flights of stairs. "I'm fading fast," he gasped, taking her hand and pulling her out of the aisle they were in. "My magic's wearing off. I'm still not..." He paused, trying to catch his breath before he moved on. "I'm still not strong enough..to really throw down." He growled, his teeth gleaming in the low light. "This STUPID Crown..."

He led her through the warehouse shelves, opened a door and walked her down a flight of stairs into a basement. Still trying to catch his breath, he flicked on a light switch, and she held her hands to her mouth at what she saw.

Jack Spicer, the redhead from before, was bound to a pole with thick chains, slumped over and out cold. Mind buzzing with questions, she turned to her companion, who wiped some sweat off of his brow before reaching out and lifting her chin up fondly. "All right, Sweet Pea," he breathed, "I'm running out of time, so listen very carefully to what I'm about to say. You need to run, and you need to run now."

"W-what? W-w-where?" she asked, looking down at his hands and eyeing the chains he was holding.

"Anywhere!" he answered, nodding towards Jack. "Anywhere that takes you far away from these bozos. Especially this jerk." He pointed to himself. "Under no circumstances are you EVER to trust anyone who serves the Xiaolin, capiche? He might act like he cares about you, but the second he knows who you really are, he'll tip off his friends and they'll come running. If they find us, it's all over. If they find you..." He held her by the shoulder, peering into her eyes. "It's over. Do you understand?"

She opened her mouth and closed it before looking over at Jack, eyeing his limp, motionless body in concern. Even in this glaring, invasive fluorescent lighting, it was hard to tell if he was breathing or not.

**_"Timber!"_**

At the sound of her name, she looked back and gasped as her companion brought his face closer to hers, his grip on her shoulders tightening in his desperation. _"Do you understand?"_

"...Yes," she whispered finally, nodding and licking her lips. "I understand."

He sagged in relief at her words and brought her close, pressing his forehead against hers with closed eyes. "That's my girl," he murmured.

Without another word, he placed the chains into her hands, took off the Golden Tiger Claws, and walked over to a nearby pole, just opposite of where Jack was tied up. Taking a deep breath, Timber followed, and as she bound him to the pole as tightly as she could, he continued to speak. "Remember, Sweet Pea. There's still a lot I can't do while I'm trapped in this thing. A lot of the work has to be done by you. Our lives are in your hands. So from now on, keep a low profile. Don't talk to strangers, stick to the shadows, and above all else, trust no one." He snorted, giving her a crooked smile. "No one except me, of course."

She smiled back and rolled her eyes as she fastened the chains with a padlock. "Of course." She stood back, finished with her work and nodding to him with certainty. "We stick together, just like we always have."

"It won't be easy. I hope you know that. You WILL be tested. Of that there is no doubt."

"You're my best friend," she shrugged. "I said I'd do this for you. And I _never_ go back on a promise."

His smile softened from one of mischief to one of pride. "You're a brave girl, Timber Wilde. The bravest girl in the whole wide world. I'm counting on you." His smile fell, and his eyes glowed like stars one last time. **"Now _run."_**

His eyes dimmed until they were a dark black once more. Jermaine's eyes closed, and his body fell forward, still and silent.

Timber stood there, sighing as her hand began to twitch and tremble, the anxiety and stress bubbling to the surface again in the eerie silence of the basement. She bent down and scooped the Golden Tiger Claws off of the ground, pulling them on dutifully with a grim smile. "A deal's a deal," she murmured softly, reaching up to touch the Wu on her head. "I won't let you down, Sun. I promise."

"...Sun?"

Timber jumped at the unexpected voice and whirled around to see Jack stirring and blinking sleepily. _"Sun,"_ he groaned. "Why does that name sound...?"

Jack trailed off when his vision came into focus and he saw her standing before him, wide-eyed and anxious. Blinking stupidly, he looked around. When he saw Jermaine, the chains, and the Shen Gong Wu in her hand, something inside clicked and he turned back to her. "You...?!" he asked, his eyes beginning to gleam as his anger came rushing forth like water through a broken dam. _"You!"_

She didn't respond to that, and she didn't need to. Jack growled and began to squirm around, glaring at her with unbridled fury. "A-HA! I _KNEW_ IT! I _knew_ we couldn't trust you! You're not a victim! You were just some psycho waiting for a chance to fleece us at the first opportunity! I was right!"

_"Don't call me that!"_

His breath left him as she delivered a stinging slap to his face, and he was still seeing stars when she grabbed him by the throat and screamed in his face. "Don't you EVER call me that again! I'll break your jaw if you even try! Do you hear me?! I am _not_ crazy!" Her grip on his throat tightened, her eyes wild with rage." _I am not crazy!"_

"But you _are_ a traitor!" he choked out, his mouth faster than either his sense or his fear. "Try denying that! Go on!" He grit his teeth, forcing himself to keep steady eye contact as his vision began to fade from her hands on his throat. _"I... dare..you!"_

Her fire seemed to weaken, his words cutting straight through her anger and piercing her conscience. She slowly released him, her shoulders sagging as she took a step back and swallowed, unable to bring herself to speak. Jack coughed and breathed in a few lungfuls of air before he looked back up at her with a scowl. "You're nothing but a traitor," he spat. "Jermaine shouldn't have trusted you, and he shouldn't have wasted his time trying to look out for you. All he got out of it was a knife in the back!" He wiggled this way and that, trying to get loose, but the chains held tight. "When I get out of here, I'm gonna-!"

"Mmngh..."

Both Jack and Timber turned to see Jermaine, twitching as he faded into consciousness. He lifted his head, his words slurring together when he spoke. "My head...What the...?" His eyes grew wide as they fell on Jack, then Timber. "What's going on?" Jermaine tried to move forward, but when he did, the chains around his chest caught his attention, and his voice shook as he tried to piece together what was happening. "Where are we? Why-" He blinked in confusion, smacking his lips. "Why do I taste peaches?"

"Jermaine!" Jack's face lit up, then grew serious and wary. "That's...that's really you, right? It's the real you I'm talking to right now?"

 _"What?"_ breathed Jermaine, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What are y'all _on?_ Of course it's me. Who else would it be?"

Jack didn't answer, but a shudder went through his body at the memory of Jermaine walking backwards towards his death. 

"What the heck is going on?!" Jermaine shouted again, eyeing the warehouse basement in bewilderment. "What is this?! Why are we tied up?!"

"Ask _her!"_ Jack snarled, jerking his head towards Timber.

Jermaine turned to her, looking her up and down, slowly beginning to understand when his eyes fell on the Claws in her hands. "....Kid?" He leaned forward, the blood draining from his face as he tried to process what was happening. "Kid...what are you _doing?"_

The look of betrayal in his eyes made her heart ache and her throat tighten, so much so that she almost couldn't respond. Forcing herself to ignore the pangs of guilt in her chest, Timber put on a fierce face, desperately trying to sound confident. "I warned you, didn't I, Chief?" she answered in a sharp voice. "Didn't I say that one of these days, someone was gonna stab you in the back if you kept trying to play 'hero'?" Her mouth tightened into a hard line, her expression menacing under the fluorescent lighting. "You should have paid more attention."

"No." Jermaine's voice broke. "You - _no!"_ He strained against the chains around his body, but despite his growing panic, they held fast. Jermaine squirmed and wiggled, kicked and thrashed. "I told you I was gonna help you, and I meant it! I promised I'd get you home!" Jermaine shook his head, his voice cracking. "Don't you believe me?! Don't you trust me?!"

"No."

Her answer, so short and so blunt, cowed him into silence. She shrugged, carefully keeping her expression flat and her voice even. "Sorry, Chief. It's nothing personal, but this is how it's gotta be."

He shook his head, his eyes hurt. "I don't understand."

Timber said nothing for a moment, but reached into her pocket and pulled out her cigarettes. The two watched as she lit one and took in a few deep drags, letting the nicotine wash over her for a moment before she spoke. "Let me give you some advice, Chief: Don't trust anyone. Like...ever." She took a few step towards him as she continued, the smoke swirling around her like a ghostly mist. "People are garbage. They don't really listen, they don't really care, and one way or another, they'll always disappoint you in the end. You think you can trust them, you think they have your back, but at the end of the day, you're not important. And the second they see something in you that they don't like, they'll do whatever it takes to "fix" you. Do you hear me? They will do _whatever it takes_ just to shut you up, or keep the neighbors from gossiping, because _their_ opinions matter more than _yours._ And if they can't do that?" She threw her hands up in the air, a tight forced smile on her face. "They'll throw you out like bad fish! Like you _never even mattered in the first place!"_

The two stared at her incredulously, taken off guard by the bitterness in her voice. She blew out a puff of smoke and closed her eyes before she continued. "People that care? People that try? Yeah, _sometimes_ they show up every now and then. And you get soft and stupid, you hope that things will get better, and you start to believe that there's something else out there. But you know what? It's all a pipe dream! Those people...they don't last long! Not in this life!"

She sighed, taking in another drag before she opened her eyes again and looked back at Jermaine. "You wanna survive in this world, Jermaine? Then stop believing in good things and _stop_ putting your blind faith in people you don't even know." She turned towards him, sorrow flickering across her features. "Just look at where it got you."

Jermaine blinked up at her, confused beyond words. He shook his head slowly, his expression changing from hurt to fury. "This ain't fair!" He grit his teeth as his anger began to bubble to the surface. _"This ain't right!"_

She bent down close and looked him dead in the eye, her face an inch away from his as she reached out to lift up his chin. "Maybe some people can't afford to do what's 'right'," she said quietly. "Maybe some people have to do _what's right for them."_

"Even if it means stepping on others?!" Jermaine leaned forward as far as he could, his eyes like burning coals. "Even if it means betraying the people that care about you?!"

Snorting in irritation, Timber took a step back, blowing smoke out of the corner of her mouth. "Jesus, you are _such_ a child. Grow up, would you? Life isn't some Saturday morning cartoon where good guys and bad guys fight for twenty minutes before the day is saved. Sometimes you just gotta make decisions to get where you want to go, and if other people get hurt..." She shrugged, swallowing her conscience as she lied to herself. "Well...it's not like they mattered anyway."

Behind her, Jack gawked at her like she had grown a second head. _"Jeez,"_ he said slowly. "You are _way_ darker than I thought. Your whole philosophy is sick, and twisted, and _wrong_..." He paused, looking her up and down slowly before meeting her eyes again, his eyebrows flying up in surprise. "....I'm...kind of into it, actually."

There were ten solid seconds of silence as Timber stared back at him with wide eyes and the world's biggest frown on her face. She hastily dropped her cigarette in a nearby puddle and turned away, shuddering. "Yeah, o-okay, I'm outta here," she responded, shielding her face with her hand and avoiding eye contact.

"Uh...call me?"

_"Absolutely not."_

"Where are you going?!" shouted Jermaine, watching her leave.

"None of your business. If you're smart, you won't try to follow me." She sighed wearily, feeling lower than dirt, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Just...forget about me, Chief. Do it for yourself." She turned to walk up the stairs, refusing to spare them one last glance. "Nice knowing you, boys."

"No! NO!" Jermaine began to squirm and writhe desperately against the ropes, watching her walk away in horror. "You can't just - Come back! Please! Please listen to me!"

"Hey! Get back here!" shrieked Jack as he watched her leave. "You turn around and you get us out of here right now, do you hear me?!" 

Timber ignored them both as she strode up the stairs, forcing herself to keep her gaze forward. But just as she made it to the door, Jermaine called out to her one last time, his words bouncing off the walls.

" _I just wanted to help you!"_

She froze in mid-step as his words hit her like a freight train, crushing her self-delusion and leaving nothing but raw guilt. For a moment, for one small, single second, she almost ran back down the stairs to free them both. But before she could act on that impulse, the Crown around her head flickered like a dying flame beneath her hat, and the warmth it gave off brought her back to reality. Clinging to her renewed determination, she ran out the door and slammed it shut behind her without another word, listening to the sounds of their muffled screams. It was made of a thick, heavy metal, and even here, so close to them, they could barely be heard. No one would find them for a long, long time.

She hurriedly lit another cigarette, struggling to do so with a trembling, twitchy hand that was near unusable from all the stress and anxiety churning in her gut. The tobacco took the edge off, but the guilt weighed her heart down like an anchor, so much so she could barely breathe. With great effort, she forced herself to step away from the door and leave, fear crawling around at the edges of her stomach like maggots. "You're doing the right thing, Timber," she muttered to herself, fumbling for something inside of her shirt. "You're doing...you're doing the right thing."

As she found a fire exit and pushed open the door, she pulled out a small, crumpled up photograph of a man with wild blonde hair the exact same shade of her own. She winced down at the warm expression in his eyes, and sighed wearily. "Remember, girl - Sun's not the only one counting on you."

And with that, she walked out of the warehouse and into the unknown.

\------------------

"Hello? Hello?! Can anyone hear me?!"

Across from Jack, still bound to his own pole, Jermaine let out a deep sigh.

Minutes had bled away into hours, and the hours had bled away into eternity, or something like it. The two boys had struggled, screamed, kicked, and thrashed around this way and that, but to no avail. Despite their best efforts, they were still there. Squeezing his eyes shut in irritation, Jermaine looked over to Jack, watching as he tried again to wiggle out of his own chains with no success. "Hello? Hello?!" Jermaine's teeth grit together in frustration at the sound of the other's raspy voice bouncing off of the walls, wearing down his already frayed nerves. "Can anyone hear me? Hey! HEY!"

"Knock it off, Spicer!" snarled Jermaine, his throat hoarse. "If anyone could hear us, they would have already shown up!"

Jack looked over at him, a glimmer of hurt in his eyes, andermaine relented. "Sorry," he apologized, "But...come on, dawg. Let's face it. We ain't getting out of this one."

"But," Jack protested, looking around. "But maybe if-!"

"Just stop, okay?" Jermaine closed his eyes. _"Stop._ No one's coming to save us."

Jack stared at him for a moment or two before he sagged in defeat, glaring at the ground in silence for a while before speaking again. "...This is all your fault," he grumbled.

"I know."

Jack's head snapped up, caught off-guard by the other boy's words. On the other side of the room, Jermaine closed his eyes and turned away. "...You were right. She was bad news, and I shouldn't have trusted her. I felt so bad about her getting sucked into all this mess, I didn't even see the red flags. And now it's too late." He sighed. "Now she's got the Claws, and we're here, and I can't even call Omi or the others to warn them about it. I...I don't even know if they're alive." Jermaine paused, swallowing thickly, and Jack could almost swear he saw a tear in the corner of his eye. "Back on the beach, I...I tried to protect Rai from you. From whatever was inside of you. And instead, I ended up abandoning my friends when they needed me most. I thought I could maybe make it up to them by bringing them back the Crown, but it's lost now, so...I messed that up too. I let everyone down. I let Omi down." He sagged in shame. "All I ever do is mess up and let Omi down."

Jermaine heard a faint chuckle, and looked over to the shadows in the farthest corner of the room. A phantom of Chase Young smiled back at him, basking in his pain and misery before fading away. Jermaine closed his eyes again and hung his head. "I should have never come to the Temple. I don't belong there. I'm just..." He sighed. "I'm just a failure."

Jack turned away from him, staring off into the distance. "...Failure," he repeated softly.

For the longest time, neither of them said a word. The only sounds were each other's steady breathing, the water in the pipes and the humming of the lights overhead. Until, out of nowhere, Jack spoke. **_"No,"_** he growled.

Somewhat startled by the aggression in his voice, Jermaine glanced over at him and felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the fury in Jack's eyes.

 _"I am **not** going back a failure,"_ he spat.

Suddenly, he began to thrash around in his chains, struggling against them like a madman, grunting and growling in his effort to escape.

"What are you doing?" Jermaine narrowed his eyes in concern at the distant, but intense look in Jack's eyes. "Spicer, that's not gonna work! We already tried - "

 _"Shut up!"_ snapped Jack as he began to wriggle and writhe even more violently. "If you want to quit, Jermaine, then go ahead and quit! I don't care! But I'm not going to!"

A rattling sound caught Jermaine's attention, and his eyes widened as he saw the chains that bound Jack were starting to move on their own, the links shaking and rattling and crawling over each other like snakes. Before he could process what he was looking at, a clanking nose and movement on his chest and arms made him look down, and he realized that his own chains were doing the exact same thing. "S-Spicer...?" he asked out loud.

But Jack, in his righteous rage, didn't even hear him. He struggled against the metal that was keeping him trapped, gritting his teeth from the pain. "I don't care what I have to do to make it happen, what garbage I have to put up with, or even how long it'll take me to get it done! One way or another, I'm going back to California with that Crown!"

"Yo, Spicer!" cried Jermaine, watching in fear as the links began to move and rattle even more violently.

Still fighting with all he had, Jack squeezed his eyes shut, sweat trickling off of his forehead. "I'll do _whatever it takes_ to get that Wu, because I'm _Jack Spicer,_ and for once in my life, _I'm not going to lose!"_

_"JACK-!"_

Suddenly, as if a bomb had gone off, the links on their chains flew apart, hovered in the air for a few seconds, and then came crashing to the ground like a sudden rain.

Jermaine pulled himself up off the floor, gawking at the sight and rubbing at the bruises on his arms absentmindedly. Across from him, Jack was still breathing hard, his eyes glowing with determination. "I'm not losing," he huffed, his teeth gritting together. _"Not this time."_

"You...you did it," breathed Jermaine, slapping a hand to his forehead.

"You better believe I did it, baby!" shouted Jack, his cheeks pink from excitement as he pumped a fist in the air triumphantly. "Booyah! Jack Spicer: one, Crazy Canadian Chick: ZERO!"

"But HOW did you do it?!" Jermaine sat up and looked around, his head still dizzy from what he saw. "What just happened?!"

 _"Ablibliblibliblah!"_ answered Jack, flapping his hand like a talking mouth and shaking his head. "There's no time for that! We can talk theories after the action's over." His expression darkened. "Now's the time for _payback,_ " he snarled.

Before he knew what was happening, Jermaine felt himself being pulled onto his feet. "Get up," snapped Jack as he turned to race up the stairs. "We're way behind, but if we move now, maybe we can still track that loon down!"

Jack ran all the way up to the top of the stairs and threw the door open, making it a few steps into the hallway before the lack of accompanying footsteps drove him to run back to the basement. To his immense displeasure, Jermaine was still at the bottom of the stairs, his eyes wide as saucers. _"Well,_ Jermaine?!" Jack screeched, throwing up his hands. "Are you coming or not?!" He tapped his wrist impatiently. "Times a tickin'!"

"Uh, y-yeah!" Jermaine shook his head and jogged up the stairs, following Jack as the redhead looked around for an exit. "But why are you working with me? I thought you said we weren't friends."

 _"Ew!"_ Jack paused and looked back at him, making a sour face. "We're not! Don't be gross! But as a man of science, I am nothing if not resourceful, and right now, _you're_ all I've got to work with. So congratulations, sweetcheeks!" He clapped the shorter boy on the shoulder, shot him a finger gun, and winked. "You're now my temporary partner-in-crime. As of this moment, I hereby declare you my Number One Evil Henchman." 

"Oh, _HELL_ no!" cried Jermaine, recoiling in disgust.

"That's the spirit," Jack said dismissively as he walked past him towards the fire exit. "Now come on. We still have no idea where we are. I need you to help me take a look around."

Jermaine watched him swing the door open and run out into the night, looking back to the basement door and still trying to comprehend all that had happened. _"....'Evil Henchman?'"_ he muttered to himself. _"What?"_

"Hey, Rookie!" called Jack, snapping his fingers impatiently as he poked his head around the doorframe. "Hop to it!"

Letting out a deep breath, Jermaine resigned himself to his fate and followed. "Yeah, yeah," he groaned. "I'm coming, Spicer."

"That's 'Mr. Spicer' to you," said Jack, crossing his arms as Jermaine walked outside to join him.

"Not a chance," Jermaine hissed. "So..." He paused as he glanced around the dark alleyway they had walked out to. It was night here, and the only lights available were from windows, streetlights, and signs in the distance. Everything around them was unyielding brick buildings, dumpsters and concrete. "Where to now?" he asked.

"Let's get a bird's eye view," Jack suggested. "I've been Wu hunting for years all over the world, so maybe I'll be able to recognize a landmark or something if I get a better look at the land."

"That's cool with me," replied Jermaine, "Whatever we gotta do to track her down. And fast." He frowned, his eyes wide with worry. "But...is there even any point to looking for her? She has the Claws. They're not reliable, but couldn't she have used them to escape?"

"Trust me, she wouldn't dare," said Jack dismissively as he began to run up a fire escape. "That girl's nuttier than squirrel poop, but she's not _stupid._ She saw what they did to you."

"I...what?" Jermaine stopped mid-step.

Jack looked back at him, his face serious. "...The Claws. They did something to you, and suddenly..." He shivered. "You weren't 'you' anymore."

Jermaine stared up at him from below, stunned. Jack let out a shaky sigh, leaning over the railing with a mix of fear and pity on his face. "You don't remember, do you?"

Jermaine swallowed and shook his head. "My skin was on fire, and you two were freaking out." He shrugged. "And...that's it."

Jack frowned at the lost look on Jermaine's face. "It was pretty scary on our end. Uh...how about you? You gonna be alright?" he asked tentatively, his sincerity awkward and out of practice.

"...Doesn't matter," muttered Jermaine, as he began to catch up and rush past him on the fire escape. "We got other things to worry about right now. Let's see where we are."

Jack watched him go for a moment, eyeing the marks on Jermaine's skin and his burnt clothes before following.

Jermaine ran up the iron stairs of the fire escape and onto a flat roof, his eyes widening at the sight he saw up there. Behind him, Jack stumbled over to him, wheezing a little as he tried to catch his breath. When he looked up, his jaw dropped open at the glittering cityscape all around him. Beyond the glorious buildings there was the sea, and past that, more city, and more lights.

"Whoa," murmured Jermaine, taking a few steps forward to get a better look. "That's..."

"Victoria Harbor."

Jermaine glanced over to Jack in surprise, watching as the redhead looked all around with an expression of revelation on his face as he pointed out other buildings in the distance. "That's the Bank of China, and that's the Two International Finance Building, and that's the Centre!" Jack fell to his knees, running a hand over his face and groaning loudly. "Ughhhhhhhh...We're in _Hong Kong."_

"What? Really?!" Jermaine rushed over to the edge of the roof, gazing out into the explosion of lights and glass. "Are you sure?"

"YES, I'm sure," grumbled Jack as he pulled himself up to his feet. "I know this when I see it, Jermaine. TRUST ME."

"But, that's good, right?" Jermaine asked slowly, eyeing Jack's sour face. "I mean, we know where we are."

"Yeah! And it's gonna take nothing short of a miracle to find Little Miss Sunshine in all of this." Jack ran a hand through his hair, defeat and disappointment flickering across his face. "Hong Kong's one of the most densely populated places on the entire face of the Earth, and she's already got a huge head start. She could be anywhere! The odds of us actually tracking her down are-"

"What, so, you can't pull it off?"

Jack paused, his head snapping up to look back at Jermaine. The shorter boy crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as the corner of his mouth quirked up into a small smile. "That's basically what you're saying, right? Mr. Heylin Genius can find Wu all over the world, but he can't figure out a way to track down one person?"

Jack stared at him in indignant shock before his face turned as red as a stop light. "D-don't put words in my mouth, you back-sassing-!"

"Mm-mm-mm," Jermaine interrupted, leaning up against a nearby wall and inspecting his fingernails casually. "And here I thought you were actually being serious about not quitting." Jack jumped, and inwardly Jermaine smiled at his reaction as he rolled his eyes and looked away coyly. "What was it you said again? _'I don't care what I have to do to make it happen, what garbage I have to put up with, or even how long it'll take me to get it done? I'm Jack Spicer, and I'm not going to lose?'"_ He snorted. "Guess that was just lip service, huh?"

Behind him, Jack silently seethed, his face now the exact same color as his hair. He clenched and unclenched his trembling fists as Jermaine looked back to him, placid and calm. "So, what are you gonna do, Spicer? You gonna quit?"

Jack took in a deep, long, drawn out breath through his nose and let it out slowly before replying. "...You're good," he muttered, taking a step forward. "But I'm _better,_ and I'll prove it!"

"Yeah?" Jermaine walked up to him, keeping his gaze steady. _"So prove it."_

Jack growled and grabbed Jermaine's wrist, dragging him back towards the fire escape with more strength than the shorter boy expected. "Fine! FINE! Whatever! I'll track her down! I can do it! I'll show you! _I'll show you all!"_

"Jack, bruh, it's literally just me-"

"Can it! I'm not paying you to talk!"

"You...you ain't paying me at all."

_"GAH!"_

As the taller boy frothed at the mouth in front of him, Jermaine couldn't help but laugh a little. It was a warm, genuine laugh, something he didn't even think he was capable of at a time like this, in a place like this, confronted with the looming spectre of the unknown.

Jack tilted his head in confusion, eyeing him defensively. _"What?"_ he huffed impatiently. "What's so funny?"

"I..." Jermaine shook his head, continuing on with a smile. "It's nothing, man. Let's keep going."

"Uh...alright?" Jack snorted, turning back around. _"Weirdo,"_ he muttered.

And with that, the two boys rounded the corner out of the alleyway and into the glimmering streets of Hong Kong.

\----------------------

Somewhere on the streets of Hong Kong, a blonde girl ran for her life.

She ran fast, but a hand grabbed on to her wrist, and her pursuer pulled her back into a tight embrace. The older boy held her by her waist, crooning into her ear. "Come on, baby," he whispered flirtatiously. "Hang with me for a while. I don't bite." He grinned. "Unless you want me to."

Behind him, his friends laughed, whistled and catcalled, snickering as she squirmed in his grip and choked on the thick scent of his cologne. "Stop it!" she cried, but he only pulled her closer, gripping her chin and turning her head towards his for a kiss. "Aw, don't be like that, hone-"

Scared, furious and acting on instinct, she bit his hand hard until she tasted blood. He shrieked and dropped her like a hot coal, but not before she took her hand - the one with the Golden Tiger Claws on them- and swiped it across his face with as much force as she could. He howled in agony and she bolted for freedom, half of his friends surrounding him to see if he was alright, and the other half pursuing her, their words substantially less friendly than before.

Her lungs were on fire as she ran through alleyway after alleyway, but still they would not stop. She paused to kick over a trash can, triggering a domino effect as even more junk in the alleyway crashed down and blocked their path. "Leave me alone!" she screamed as she continued on.

Her adrenaline and instinct were like lightning in her veins as she rounded one corner after another, until finally, she ran into a gated area, the back of the building blocked off by a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. Noises from the alleyway she had left began to grow louder and louder, and she hastily swiped her hand over and over in the air. "Golden Tiger Claws! Golden Tiger Claws!" Nothing happened, and she grit her teeth in frustration, trying again and again. "Come on! Work! _Please!"_

But the Claws didn't listen.

Desperate and out of options, she grabbed onto the fence and began to climb over it, carefully maneuvering her way over the barbed wire as fast as she could. Too fast. She hissed loudly when she moved wrong and felt something sharp cut into her skin, nearly falling off of the fence in her pain. She forced herself to keep going over, and as she dropped onto the ground, she stumbled and looked at the bottom of her bare foot. A deep, vicious cut glistened in the streetlight, already dripping blood onto the concrete. She tried to put her foot down and nearly fell over, and her heart sank when she realized that it hurt too much to walk, let alone run.

The sounds were getting closer. Scared beyond speech, she began to look around for something, anything, that could aid her. There were no doors, no ladders to climb up, nothing to hide behind other than the fence. She didn't know if they'd risk the barbed wire to get to her, and she didn't want to find out.

Finally, just as she was about to lose hope, something green caught her eye as she turned to the fence once again. It was a small vine, growing in the corner between brick and fence, a small hint of nature struggling to survive in a concrete jungle.

It was enough.

Steadying her breathing, Timber knelt by the little plant, stroked its leaves gently, and closed her eyes as she focused.

And focused.

And focused.

There was a thread of something within herself and within the plant in front of her, connecting them both as if they were one, and the second she felt that connection, she latched onto it with determination. Three seconds before the boys rounded the corner, she opened her eyes and whispered confidently into the night air.

**_"Wood."_**

Like a glass of milk spilling onto a counter, the vines spread throughout the rest of the fence, leaves rustling softly as they grew thick and wild and beautiful, until not a single thing could be seen beneath them. The bevy of foliage shielded her, and the end of the alleyway, perfectly.

She scrambled quietly away from the fence when she heard the boys arrive on the other side, clutching a twitching hand to her mouth as she listened to their conversation.

"Where'd she go?"

"Don't know. But I saw her go this way for sure."

"Yeah, me too."

"You don't think she was stupid enough to climb over THAT fence, do you?"

"I doubt it, but I can check."

Trembling in fear, Timber stifled a scream as one of the boys reached out to grab the chain-links - but he hastily pulled his hand back, hissing in pain. "Agh!"

"What happened?!"

"I cut my hand on some thorns!" He huffed, stomping his foot. "Aw! Forget this, man. Whoever that skank was, she's long gone."

"Yeah? Good riddance. Lee's always picking up the worst chicks. Did you see what she did to his face?"

"Serves him right."

And with that, they left, grumbling at as they walked down the alleyway, their voices fading into silence.

Timber, holding her twitching hands to her mouth and breathing as quietly as she could, waited for five minutes until she was sure they were gone. Tearing up from the pain in her foot, she grit her teeth and punched the brick wall she was leaning against before she ripped off her hat and yanked the Shen Gong Wu right off of her head. _"Sun!"_ she snapped, glaring down at the Crown in her hands. "What the heck did you get us both into?!" Her eyes widened with worry as her breath became steady again. "...What did I get _myself_ into?"

The Crown did not answer. No glimmer of light, no hint of warmth, no voice. Nothing.

Timber sighed and took out her cigarettes, but when she realized that her lighter was out of fluid, she cursed loudly and threw it at the wall. She bit back a sob of frustration as she felt around in her shirt for something, her anger easing up a bit as she touched the frayed edges of a small photograph. ""....I wish you were here," she said out loud, looking up at the dark sky as she clenched and unclenched her hand. "You'd know what to do."

A moment or two passed. There was nothing but the lights in the windows above her and the dirty, wet smell of the dank little alleyway. Finally, she took the photograph out of her shirt and placed it upright by the Crown, then scooted over to where the vine was growing out of the ground. Digging around a little in the small patch of dirt there, she reached inside her shirt, pulled out a packet of seeds, and tore it open with her teeth. "Okay," she said as she planted a single seed into the ground and put her hand over it. "Here's the situation." She turned to the photo and the Crown beside her. "Dad, you're gone, and you can't help me right now. Sun, you're sleeping - I think? - so you can't help me either. Also, you left the Claws all broken, so even I can't use them." She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for that. Real big help."

The Crown didn't respond.

"Alright, alright," she muttered. "Let's get serious. Gotta think, gotta think...How do I get out of this place?"

From beneath her hand, something began to grow, and she muttered to herself as she coaxed it out of the dirt, deep in thought. "There's no way I'm heading back from where I came. Not with those guys out there. So...my only real option is..." She glanced over to the building behind her, scanning it curiously. "If there's no fire escape, then...how do I...?"

Up overhead, the building stretched up into the night sky. Finally, she spotted a single open window, a beacon of hope like a lighthouse in a storm. But her excitement deflated like a balloon when she realized it was about forty feet up in the air.

"Okay, _sure,"_ she muttered sarcastically. "Why not? Why would things be easy for me? When have they _ever_ been easy for me?" Sighing in exasperation, she reached down to her injured foot and began to clean the blood away with her sleeve gently. "I mean, if I manage to climb through there, I can just find the nearest exit and leave as fast as I can. But if I get caught breaking in...it could be really bad. I don't even know what's in there." She looked down at the Shen Gong Wu and the photo next to her. "What do you think, guys?"

Neither the photo nor the Crown said a word.

She let out a deep breath and faced forward again. "Good talk."

With that, she grabbed the freshly sprung succulent from beneath her hand, broke off a thick leaf, and ran the soft, juicy underside of it over the cut on her foot, wincing in pain. Within moments, the cut closed, becoming nothing but a faint pink line, the pain dulled to a small ache. She repeated the process, and in seconds, both the scar and the ache were gone.

Timber stood up on her freshly healed foot, and let out a deep breath before swiping her photo, her hat and the Crown off the ground. "Guess I'm just gonna have to wing it," she sighed as she pulled the toque over the Crown on her head. She kissed the photograph softly before tucking it away in her shirt. "Wish me luck, you two. I'll try not to die, or whatever."

Stretching her arms over her head, Timber walked over to the building, inspecting cracks in the concrete where the brick met the ground. Taking out another packet of seeds, she scattered them into the holes, willing the roots to find soil and the plant to blossom forth. Soon, the wall was covered in a thick carpet of ivy, as if it had been there for years. She jumped, grabbed onto a thick woody vine, and began to climb upwards. "Okay," she murmured, pulling herself up slowly. "Find a way out. Don't get caught. Keep a low profile. Avoid the Xiaolin." She groaned. "No pressure. I can do it. I have to. After all..."

She sighed bitterly as she reached the window and crawled in. "A deal's a deal."

\-----------------

"佢長什麼樣子?"

"她有一頭金髮, 棕色的眼睛, 棕色的皮膚, 對一個女孩來說係高嘅。 佢同我哋年齡相倣。 " 

Nearby, Jermaine watched curiously as the police officer nodded, scribbling on his notepad as he looked up at Jack again. "佢着嘅係乜?" he asked, his voice dead serious.

"藍色牛仔褲, 一件白襯衫黑色恤衫上緊, 冇鞋。" Jack paused, thinking for a second before he spoke again. "佢仲戴咗頂黑色帽。 一粒豆豆。"

"仲有乜嘢我哋需要了解嗎?" asked the other officer behind them, holding two coffees in his hands and looking from his partner to Jack.

"我諗佢唔會講廣東話。" Jack answered dutifully, . "佢都可能會走。 我哋冇好好嘅歷史。" Out of nowhere, he threw his arm around Jermaine and jerked his head towards him, much to the other boy's bewilderment. "但佢想幫佢翻屋企。"

The officer nodded and gave a salute. "我會留意佢的 既然你冇電話, 就在車站辦理登機手續, 我地會隨時為你提供最新嘅信息。"

"多謝." Jack nodded back to him in the most polite gesture Jermaine had ever seen him give another person, and his eyebrows flew up in astonishment as Jack reached out his hand to the man in uniform. "祝你有個愉快的夜晚."

"謝謝你, 年輕人," replied the officer as he took his hand and shook it. "你都這樣做。"

Jermaine watched as the two officers left, sipping on their coffee as they made their way to their car. Jack turned back around to him and cleared his throat to get his attention. "All right. So." He clapped his hands together. "No one's seen or heard about her - yet - but they're gonna clue other people on the force in about the situation. They say we should check back in at the station if we want to follow up on this, since neither of us have a phone they can reach us at. I'm still not too optimistic about this, but hey." He shrugged. "At least we're not doing this alone anymore."

"Wow." Jermaine shook his head. "I didn't expect you to actually work with the police."

Jack huffed, looking away and turning red. "It's called 'being resourceful.' Once again, I don't have a lot to work with. No tools, no tech, no money, nada." He pouted. "I'm doing the best I can with what little I have. Sue me."

Jermaine snorted and lightly punched him in the shoulder. "I'm kidding, Spicer. It was really cool of you to do that." He looked him up and down, a glimmer of surprise in his eyes. "I didn't know you could _speak_ Cantonese."

"Cantonese is my first language," said Jack casually. "I was born in Hong Kong." He turned to walk down the street in the direction of a popular tourist destination as he continued speaking. "We moved to the States when I was three, but my Dad - he's from here, too, born and raised - he always dragged me along for his business trips. We went all over the world for those things, but _especially Hong Kong,_ so I got to see this place a lot growing up anyways. I never really enjoyed the 'business' part of the trip, but hey." He shrugged, raising his hands up. "It was always nice to be back home."

"I didn't know that," said Jermaine, tilting his head in curiosity. "There's a lot more to you than I expected, Spicer." He scratched his head sheepishly as he moved out of the way of an incoming bicycle. "I always thought you were just some guy who built robots, and that was it."

Jack chuckled condescendingly. "Yeah, well, that's the thing, Rookie-"

"Don't call me that."

"I'm not just some uber smart, incredibly handsome engineering prodigy," Jack declared, puffing himself up in pride. "I am a villain with DEPTH. I'm the Heylin Prince of Darkness, the Emperor of Evil, the Shogun of Sorrow! There's more to me than you think!"

"Yeah?" snorted Jermaine, amused. "Like what?"

"Pfft," scoffed Jack, his tone becoming guarded. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Uh, yeah," said Jermaine, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "I would. That's why I asked."

Jack paused mid-step and turned to him, the sincerity in Jermaine's voice catching him off-guard. "Wait," he asked, pointing at Jermaine. "You're serious?"

"Yeah!" Jermaine crossed his arms and shot him a friendly smile. "Tell me about yourself, Spicer."

For a moment, Jack stood there, blinking in astonishment as passersby milled around the two of them. But finally he snapped out of his trance and began to stumble over his words, not used to being asked such a question. "Uh...w-well..." he stuttered, as he began to walk again. "Let's see. I...like video games! And I read comics. Sometimes I watch sci-fi shows and old-school martial arts movies, and sometimes I play basketball."

"Really?" asked Jermaine.

"Yeah! It's pretty much the only sport I like. I mean, I prefer watching it, but playing it is fun, too. It's been a while though," he admitted, scratching his face. "So I'm probably way out of practice. Oh. And competitive ice skating."

Jack kept walking down the street, but Jermaine stumbled over his feet when his words sunk in. "W-wait, what?" he asked, blinking in surprise.

Jack looked over at him and flushed pink. "Only on the weekends, though," he mumbled. When Jermaine continued to stare at him, his blush deepened and he wagged a finger at the other boy. "Look, don't judge me! There's a lot of prize money to be won in those competitions and engineering ain't cheap!"

"I..I ain't judging," said Jermaine awkwardly. At the look Jack gave him, he held up his hands in surrender. "I'm not! Ice skating is... _cool?"_

Jack stared at him for a beat, his face turning sour at the terrible pun until it looked like he had bitten into a lemon. _"Everything you are is a sin."_

Jermaine began to crack up at the melodramatic tone in his voice, giggling uncontrollably until he was doubled over in laughter. Jack himself rolled his eyes and gave him a shove. "Fine, whatever jerk! So, what about you? Huh? What do you like?"

"Uh..." Jermaine looked up in thought. "I like...video games, comics, sci-fi shows, old-school martial arts movies, basketball-"

"What the-?" Jack turned to him. "Those are all the answers I just said!"

"...I know," said Jermaine bashfully.

The two stared at each other in silence, not quite sure what to say before Jermaine's face lit up in realization. "Oh! Duh! Kung-fu! I also like kung-fu. A lot. Like... _a lot."_

"Shocker," replied Jack as he continued on. "Aren't you, like, a prodigy or something?"

Jermaine's face turned pink, and he scratched the back of his head bashfully. "Well, I mean, I LOVE martial arts, but I 'unno about all _that..."_

Jack raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding, right? I've seen you fight. _Omi_ couldn't even keep up with you at times. You're good. But what else did I expect?" he shrugged. "You _are_ Xiaolin, after all. Kung-fu's your whole schtick. I- _whoa."_

Jack stopped in his tracks, the blood draining from his face as he stared at something just ahead. Jermaine turned to look, his eyes widening at the sight of a teenage boy a few years older than them with a heavily bandaged face. He was sitting down at a table beside a street vendor, surrounded by a gang of other teenagers. None of them looked particularly friendly. As the teen with the bandaged face popped another fishball into his mouth, wincing in pain, his eyes met Jermaine's, and the entire group of boys looked over to them as well, their glares intense.

"L-let's just take the long way around," said Jack nervously, tugging at Jermaine's sleeve.

Jermaine nodded, his New Yorker instincts telling him it was time to leave. "Yeah, a'ight."

As the two began to cross the street, one of the boys turned back to the bandaged teen as he stirred his noodles absentmindedly. "So, what did she look like again?"

"I don't know," grumbled the teen angrily. "Like every other Westerner, I guess. Blonde hair, tan skin. Kind of tall, for a girl. She was carrying this weird stage prop. Looked like...claws?"

Jack and Jermaine froze.

"Was she cute?" asked another boy with sunglasses and a grin.

The bandaged teen scoffed, biting into another fishball. "No, not really."

"Yeah?" snorted another boy. _"Then why were you so angry when she turned you down?"_

The gang of boys laughed uproariously, and the bandaged teen reddened and pounded his fist onto the table. "Could we talk about something else?!" he snapped, glaring around at everyone else's surprised faces.

The others quailed under his intense stare and returned to their food. A short distance away, Jermaine grabbed onto Jack's arm and began to drag him towards the table. "Yo, come on. Let's investigate."

"What?! No!" Jack tried to squirm away, but the shorter boy was surprisingly strong. Still, he continued to yank his arm away, gritting his teeth in frustration as they moved closer and closer to the group of boys. "Can't you do this on your own?!"

"'Whatever it takes,' right?" replied Jermaine casually, looking back at Jack with a raised eyebrow. "Your words, Spicer, not mine."

"Are you going to hold that over my head forever?!"

"If I have to. Now shut up and be cool."

And with that, Jermaine and his very reluctant partner stopped in front of the table and cleared his throat politely. "Yo, what's up? Y'all got a minute?"

Everyone at the table looked up at him in surprise. Jermaine smiled at them casually, the picture of aloof tranquility. Jack waved to them all, a nervous grin on his face. The teen with the bandages glared at them both in distrust, chewing his food carefully. "What do you want, foreigners?"

"Uh...you know what," simpered Jack as he took a step back from his hateful gaze, "We can see that you guys are busy, so we'll just leave now-"

But he didn't make it any further. Jermaine grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him back effortlessly without even looking at him. "Hey, so, we were walking by and heard you talking about a foreign girl. Did you see where she went?"

"What do _you_ care?!" barked one of the boys defensively as he downed the last of his beer.

"Yeah," agreed a boy in a sports jacket. "I don't see how it's any of your business, Tourist."

"It's not our business," agreed Jack, nodding hastily and trying once again to escape. "You're right, you're absolutely right, come _on,_ Jermaine, we gotta go!"

Jack grabbed on to Jermaine's arm, but the boy stood in place, unperturbed. Panicking, Jack continued to attempt to pull him away from the others, but Jermaine simply ignored him and acted like he wasn't there. "I ain't trying to insult any of you," he said as Jack tugged and grabbed at his limbs. "But that girl you were talking about earlier sounds like someone I know. Someone I'm looking for." He tilted his head. "Where'd you last see her?"

The bandaged teen ate another fishball before answering. "Why are you looking for her?" he asked, sneering. "You her boyfriend, or something?"

At this, Jack snorted in disgust. "Tch! HARDLY," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

"We're just trying to track her down," answered Jermaine evenly. "Can you help us out?"

At this, the teen laughed without humor for a while, before leaning forward with a menacing smile. "And why" he asked softly, "Should I help some rotten little blonde get back together with her punk friends?"

A chilling silence settled between the gang of teenagers and the two foreign boys. Other patrons around them looked on nervously, edging away from their table as quickly and subtly as they could. Finally, the teen with the bandages stood up, walked around the table and towered over Jermaine, his gaze fierce. "Kid, you're really getting on my nerves right now, so why don't you _beat it_ before I make you regret coming up to me."

Jermaine stood his ground and narrowed his eyes. _"Which way did she go?"_ he asked icily.

Jack gulped, and the other boys stared in amazement. The bandaged teen laughed dryly, shaking his head as his shoulders shook with mirth. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

Without warning, he threw a punch, and Jack and some of the other patrons cried out in alarm. But Jermaine simply caught it in his hand and redirected him around, sending the bandaged teen stumbling into the sidewalk. The older boy wobbled around as he tried to regain his balance, looking back at Jermaine incredulously. "I don't want to fight," said Jermaine, keeping his face and his voice even as he raised his hands in surrender. "I just want some answers."

The bandaged teen gawked at him for a second longer before he snarled and rushed at him, taking swing after swing at him. Jermaine dodged every punch effortlessly, his face only betraying mild surprise as he led the older boy away from the tables full of patrons and out to a nearby courtyard where bystanders would have less of a chance of getting caught up in the violence. The bandaged teen grew angrier and angrier with every missed blow, cursing in Cantonese as Jermaine used the environment to his best advantage, kicking himself off of walls, hopping on fences and carefully keeping himself out of corners. Despite the increasingly violent attacks being sent his way, he kept calm and didn't hit back, every single movement he made graceful and confident. Jack's eyes grew big, and around him, every patron, the gang of boys, and even some of the street vendors had gathered round to watch the spectacle.

Finally, the bandaged teen began to power down, sweat pouring down his forehead as he gradually slowed, until finally, he stood before Jermaine with his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. Jermaine, as mellow as ever, casually leaned against a nearby street pole and looked down at him. "So, are you gonna tell me where you last saw her, or not?" He grinned cheekily down at his opponent. "I'm waiting!"

The bandaged teen looked up at Jermaine, completely flabbergasted. Jack and a few other people snorted at the sight. They grew quiet as the priceless expression on the bandaged teen's face crumbled away into rage, and he lunged at Jermaine with a roar - 

But froze when he realized Jermaine was no longer standing there.

Not even half a second passed before he felt someone snatch his wrist and pin his arm behind his back.

The crowd cried out in a mix of approval and shock, and as the bandaged teen cried out in pain, he felt someone pull him down and whisper in his ear.

"You know," said Jermaine, his voice still as calm as ever, "Any other day, I'd be a little bit nicer. Any other day, I wouldn't have gone this far. But not today." His eyes narrowed in determination. "I don't have the time or the patience for 'nice' right now. So I'ma ask you _again-"_ he hissed, as he pulled the teen's arm back a little further, as his opponent grunted in pain. "- And you better answer me: _Which way did she go?"_

"I...I don't know!" croaked the older boy. "When I tried to get her number, she scratched up my face and ran off from me! I didn't see where she went!"

"We did!"

Jermaine looked up. A few of the teen's friends had stepped forward, eyeing Jermaine with a mixture of fear and awe. The one with the sunglasses took them off and looked Jermaine dead in the eye. "After she attacked Lee, she disappeared in the alleyways just behind The Jade Forest." He shook his head. "That's all we know, we swear!"

"The Jade Forest?" Jermaine looked over to Jack standing in the crowd for answers, but Jack just shook his head. "Don't look at me, I've never heard of it before!"

"That's because it's new."

Jermaine's eyebrows flew up in curiosity, and he released the older boy. The tips of his ears pink from embarrassment, he massaged the wrist that Jermaine had let go of and turned back to him. "It's a nightclub. It's only been around for about a year, but it's already one of the hottest joints in Hong Kong. Everybody and their mother hits up that place as soon as the streetlights come on. It's getting pretty popular with tourists, too. I ran into her with my boys a few streets away from the Forest. I chased her for a while, but then she busted up my face and...well, I have no idea where she is right now." He shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't know, she seemed pretty caught up in all the sights. Maybe she found a way inside the club?"

"Wait. _Chased_ her?" Jermaine's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Why were you chasing her? I thought you said you were trying to get her number."

The bandaged teen opened his mouth and closed it again, his eyes flicking around. "W-well, she wouldn't give it to me, so I..." he began, stumbling over his words. "You know, I...asserted myself." He shook his head, sweating bullets. "S-she was being difficult, you know how chicks are! They're way too sensitive about some things..."

He trailed off into silence as his eyes met the disapproving and hostile glares from the crowd of onlookers. Even Jack was eyeing them with mild disgust in his curling lip. The atmosphere had shifted, and the other boys could sense it, edging away from the crowd nervously as they avoided Jermaine's eyes in embarrassment.

Jermaine sucked in a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he struggled to restrain himself. "So. Which way to The Jade Forest?"

The bandaged teen, grateful for a break in the silence, pointed his arm West. "Go down this street, make a right, and keep walking for eight blocks. It's big, green, and shiny. Like a gigantic emerald. You can't miss it! Trust me."

"A'ight," nodded Jermaine. "Good to know."

And with that, Jermaine roundhouse kicked the older boy in the chin, sending him flying right into his gang of friends.

The bandaged teen himself was knocked out cold, and some of his friends lay beneath his limp body, groaning in pain. The few who didn't get hit scattered off into the night like roaches, looking back at Jermaine in fear.

With that, Jermaine cricked his neck, turned and began to jog down the street. "Come on, Spicer. Let's bounce!"

"Uh....okay?!" Jack watched him leave, blinking in the streetlight as he still tried to process what he had just seen. "I guess we're doing this then?"

And with that, Jack took off running after him. "Hey! Karate Kid! Wait up!"

It didn't take very long to catch up to Jermaine, but Jack still found himself out of breath once he did. "Are we really heading over to The Jade Forest?" he huffed as he matched Jermaine's pace.

"Don't look like we got much choice," answered Jermaine, keeping his eyes forward. "Even if she's not there, there might be someone else with a lead! We really can't risk not checking it out! Not in this town!"

"Okay," answered Jack. "I can respect your fire, and I can definitely respect that edge I saw back there - great work, by the way - but aren't you getting a little ahead of yourself?! Neither of us are eighteen! There's no way we're gonna just waltz into a nightclub without getting busted. And filing a missing person's report is the _closest_ I want to get to a brush with the Hong Kong Police Force tonight!"

"Hey, aren't you a _seasoned criminal_ or something?!"

"Yeah, but I'm not STUPID, Jermaine! I don't go around asking for trouble on purpose!"

"Oh, so just when it suits you?!"

"Now you're getting it!"

"Look, Spicer, we're not just gonna "waltz" in. Every building's got a weakness! There's gotta be a door we can enter, a window, we can mess with the locks, _something._ Yeah, there'll probably be security to watch out for, but if we work together, it shouldn't be too hard to sneak in."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" cried Jack as he gawked at Jermaine in shock. "Am I talking to the right person?! Since when do YOU know how to break into places?!

Jermaine laughed, and as he did, memories of underground matches in condemned buildings came flooding back to him. "It's just like you said, Spicer," he said with a grin. "There's more to me than you think."

\--------------------

"Hey, you! With the blonde hair!"

Jolting in surprise, Timber whirled around, trying to look less suspicious and out of place than she felt. "Uh, y-yeah?" she called out over the music.

A woman in a red cocktail dress beckoned her over with a smile, setting her drink down on the table next to her. "Could you do me a quick favor and take a picture of us?" She threw her arm over the woman to her. "It's our first anniversary!"

Letting out a relieved breath, Timber nodded, trying to return the smile. "Yeah, okay." She took the woman's phone and stood back, awkwardly working the camera to get the best shot she could, relaxing a little in the familiar feeling of photography. "Smile."

The two women beamed at her, and there was a brief spark of light as the flash went off. "How's this?" asked Timber, passing the phone back to the woman.

"That's perfect!" she squealed, looking down at the image in delight. "Thanks so much!"

"No problem," replied Timber as she moved out of the way of a few tipsy club goers. "Uh, hey, is there maybe an outdoor area or something here?" She shrugged, eyeing the crowds for security guards anxiously. "I need some air."

"Hmm," said the woman in white, looking up and turning her head this way and that. "You know what, I'm not sure."

"To be honest, this is our first time here," said her wife, taking a sip out of her cocktail. "Want me to call over one of the guards?"

 _"No!"_ Timber answered a little too sharply. The women stared at her in surprise, and Timber flashed them her most convincing smile. "You know what? That's okay. I'll figure it out myself. Have a good night!"

And with that, she turned and disappeared into the crowd before they could say anything else.

The Jade Forest - she got the name from eavesdropping on some of the bartenders - was in full swing that night. Bright lights flashed every color of the rainbow as the music bounced off of the high glass windows of the elegant emerald-colored building. She was wandering the second level, where people lounged around on soft couches and sipped their drinks, and down below there was an enormous dance floor filled with dozens of people having the time of their lives. As overwhelmingly beautiful as the music, lights and customers were, they couldn't hold a candle to The Jade Palace itself. The entire club was filled with flora, from tall potted palm trees that brushed the ceilings to flowers and ferns on every free counter. It was an enchanting blend of nature and modern architecture.

If she wasn't so terrified of being caught here, she might have enjoyed it a bit more.

Timber backed herself up against the wall, hiding behind a curtain of hanging flowers as another security guard walked past, muttering something in his earpiece. She waited until he left before hastily blending into the nearest crowd of people, feeling very underdressed in her jeans and ratty shirt. She could feel several people looking her way, burning holes in the back of her head as they eyed her suspiciously, but she kept on, glancing everywhere she could as calmly as she could for an exit. There was too much security down below to go out from the front, and she couldn't even remember how she had come in. The nightclub was very disorienting, and if someone were to ask her how long she had been there, she wouldn't have been able to give them a solid answer.

Finally, trudging up the stairs to the third floor, she came across a much quieter scene. The lounge here was empty, probably because there was no bar to be seen, but it wasn't any less beautiful. This floor was made to look like an indoor garden, with flowers and creeping plants, and aquarium panels on the walls where tropical fish swam around. It was the most peaceful place she had found in the nightclub so far. Sighing wearily, she decided to treat herself to a break and flopped down on a soft couch, leaning back and basking in a rare moment of tranquility. Taking the Golden Tiger Claws out from where she had been hiding them in her shirt, she placed them beside her. Timber closed her eyes in the dim light and let the music from below lull her into a trance, breathing in and out peacefully for a long, long time.

That is, until someone whispered in her ear. "Having fun?"

Her heart dropped in her chest and her eyes flew open.

In the glow of the aquariums, Jack Spicer smiled brightly down at her in triumph. "Surprise, babe!" His false grin fell, his eyes sinister and chilling in the low light. _"Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me."_

Timber sat there, too stunned to speak, but movement from her peripheral vision caught her attention and she turned her head to look up into another familiar face. Jermaine stared at her with his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable but intense. "What's up?" he asked, his voice as hard as ice.

"I-I-I thought-!" Timber began in a shaky voice, but she paused to collect herself. She forced a poker face to come back to the surface, leaning back confidently with a scowl. "I thought I told you two not to follow me," she said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Jack snorted. "And let you walk off without paying you back for ditching us earlier?" He took a step towards her, his eyes burning with hate. "Not a chance."

"How'd you even _find_ me? This city's a freakin' labyrinth."

"I'm _Jack Spicer,"_ he spat, enunciating each letter of his name as clearly as possible as he pointed his thumb at himself proudly. "Future world conquerors like me _always_ have a trick up their sleeve. It helps us get the job done."

"So what," she asked, looking away at the nearby foliage and trying to think of a plan as she spoke. "Is this the part where you two get your revenge?"

"That's ri-!" began Jack, but Jermaine clamped a hand over his mouth and looked her dead in the eye. 

"I ain't gonna spend my energy even thinking about that noise," he said in a low, unnervingly even voice. "I'm just here to get you to the nearest airport. I don't know how we'll manage it, but you're getting on the next plane to Newfoundland." He jerked his head to the direction from where he came. "Now hand over the Wu and let's go. You've wasted enough of our time."

"I..." Timber stared at him, leaning forward as she tried to understand what he had just said. _"What?"_

"Roll that back?!" cried Jack as he too looked to Jermaine in bewilderment.

Jermaine glanced at Jack in mild pity before took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, crossing his arms and staring her down. "I said I'd get you home. _I'm gonna get you home._ You don't want to trust me? Fine. I don't trust you either. Not anymore." His eyes narrowed. "But I still made a promise to you, and I don't go back on my promises. Whether you like it or not, I'm gonna help you get back to where you belong."

There was a beat where Timber sat there on the couch, gawking at Jermaine with her mouth open as the music continued to blare loudly down below. Then she snapped. _"What is wrong with you?!"_

Jack watched as Timber leapt off of her feet, her eyes bright with anger as she screamed at Jermaine, who simply stood there, unflinching as he looked up at her. "Are you sick in the head or something?! How _stupid_ can one person be?! You think you can just walk around and act like that and somehow that's supposed to mean something?! You think it's going to change anything between us?!" She lunged forward and grabbed him by the shoulders, shaking him. "Don't you get it?! _I betrayed you!_ I stabbed you in the back! I stole your stuff! _And I meant to do it!"_

"So what?"

Both Jack and Timber blinked in surprise at Jermaine's words. The shorter boy glared up at Timber, gently reaching up and pulling her hands off of his shoulders. "So what if you're a bad person? And so what if you do bad things?" He shrugged. "That don't mean I got to be the same way. That's not me. That's **not** who I am."

Timber and Jack watched as Jermaine took a step back from her with his hands on his hips and a look of mild annoyance on his features. "I'm not stupid, Kid. You better believe I'm still mad about your little stunt earlier. But I am _not_ going to just leave you stranded in another country just because you would do it to me! You have a home! You have a FAMILY! What, am I supposed to leave them wondering what happened to you?!"

She opened her mouth, but closed it after a few seconds. Jermaine looked her dead in the eye. "You made your choices. But you know what? I can make my own decisions, and I'm choosing to stick to my word and get you home safe."

She stared down at him for a beat, something gentle glimmering in her eyes despite her blank face. His gaze softened, just a bit, as he held out his hand to her. "Come on,' he sighed. "Let's get out of here." He frowned. "The sooner we figure out a way to get you to Silent Harbor, the sooner I can _get you out of my life."_

His words made her redden in shame, and she looked away, biting the inside of her cheek and forcing back the tears just behind her eyes. Beside him, Jack looked at Jermaine with an expression somewhere between complete awe and bitter disappointment. "Dude," he groaned. "You are without a doubt the _worst_ Henchman ever."

"Call me that one more time Spicer," said Jermaine with a sideways glance. "See what happens." He flicked his eyes back over to Timber, taking her by the hand firmly and causing her to look at him in surprise. "There's a door out back we can sneak out of. We better bounce before security - "

"Before security _what?_ "

The three teenagers jumped and turned to see two men standing just behind them, both dressed in suits, one a pristine white, one a deep black. Standing proud in satisfaction at their own stealth, they towered over them, crossing their arms with a stern look on their faces. "Can we see some ID?" asked the man in the white suit.

"Uh..." Jermaine opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by the man in the black suit. "Whoa, hang on a second." He leaned forward and whipped off his sunglasses, narrowing his eyes. "Is that...?"

Both Jermaine and Timber followed his gaze, and their eyebrows flew up in surprise at Jack. He stood frozen in fear, his eyes as big as saucers as the color drained from his already very pale face. The man in the black suit smiled grimly at him in a way that made Jermaine's hair stand on end. "Well, well, well," he said amiably. "If it isn't _Jack Spicer."_

"H-Hey, Zhao," said Jack uneasily, trying to smile and already sweating bullets. "Long time no see. Uh...why are you working here? Needed a career change?"

The man in the black suit stared at him, his gaze unblinking, and Jack's smile fell. "Oh." HIs eyes widened. "Oh, no."

Zhao and his white-suited partner exchanged a look, and they turned back to the teenagers with grim eyes. "Change of plans. The three of you are coming with us."

Zhao reached forward and put a heavy hand on Jack's shoulder, looking down at him like a hungry wolf eyeing a sheep.

"I think Pandabubba would like a word with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs that inspired this chapter  
> \-------
> 
> Everything Evil by Coheed and Cambria: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmV3pXm5juU  
> (the dream sequence at the beginning)
> 
> The Golden Mask, by Clozee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA0JaHdovbI  
> (A very fitting song for the villain Sun, imo.)
> 
> The Ballad of Mona Lisa, by Panic! At the Disco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOgpdp3lP8M  
> (a song for Timber)
> 
> Redlight District, by Porcelain Black: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3LSensF1a8  
> (the ominous vibe, not the lyrics, suit Timber)
> 
> Vegas Lights by Panic! At The Disco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIs7QtCsUAg  
> (the whole vibe of the chapter, and also the source of the quote from the beginning)
> 
> Prince, by Vanessa Carlton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6cg-g-eGlg  
> (the chase scene)
> 
> Koto, by Clozee: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QvMcQ2Eejo  
> (Jermaine's confrontation with the dudes. also, i know this is Japanese inspired music and this whole chapter takes place in Hong Kong but THIS SONG IS SO GOOD GUYS IT'S SO GOOD)
> 
> Strobelite, by Gorillaz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAXjiVuzlPw  
> (what i imagine would be playing in The Jade Forest)


	9. Hong Kong Hijinks (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I took a little journey to the unknown  
> And I come back changed, I can feel it in my bones  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all! It's been a while since I've updated. I'm sorry I missed May! And June? Whoops?! I don't like to keep you guys waiting, but I guess it took me a bit to get back into the groove of this story, and more importantly (to me, at least) the characters, their growth, and their dynamics with each other. It's no excuse for taking so goddamn long but i thank you guys for staying with me anyways. All the writing, rewriting, re-re-rewriting, and re-re-re-rewriting paid off (i think), so here's what I got! I'm happy with it, and for me, it's important to like it before you post it. Call me a perfectionist, call me a procrastinator - both are true, to some degree, but it's a philosophy I think I want to stick with for now, as a writer.
> 
> Those of you sharp-eyed readers may have noticed a certain name change in my oc, Timber. I ended up changing her last name to Wilde. I had my reasons. Sorry I didn't do that right away. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and where this story goes, and as always, thank you for reading!

"So, you gonna tell us what this is about, or not?"

Jack bit his lip, but didn't answer Jermaine's question.

They were in an elevator, the silence broken by the tinny sound of 1940s-era Chinese music playing overhead. Behind them, Zhao stood with his back straight and his arms crossed, and Zhen, his white-suited partner, casually scrolled through his phone right beside him. Jack, wide-eyed with fear and sweating bullets, stood in front of them, facing the doors of the elevator with Jermaine to his left and the girl from Newfoundland to his right. Trying to avoid Jermaine's gaze, his attention shifted over to her.

Just seeing her face pissed him off.

His expression soured into an intense glare, but it went unnoticed; she hadn't spoken a single word since the three of them had been caught, and even now she stood utterly still, lost in her own thoughts. Jermaine, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. He couldn't seem to keep himself still, shifting from foot to foot, stretching his arms above his head, and cracking his knuckles anxiously. Unsatisfied with Jack's silence, he edged a little bit closer to the taller boy as he cricked his neck and tried again. "Yo, Spicer," he whispered, "I can't help you get out of this if I don't know what this is. Can't you tell me anything? Come on." He looked around nervously. "Who's this 'Pandabubba' dude? What beef has he got with you anyways?"

Jack swallowed thickly at the sound of that name and twiddled his thumbs nervously. "We, uh, run in the same circles," he mumbled vaguely, cringing a little when he heard one of the men shift around behind him.

"....Okay, I'm gonna need a little more to work off of than that."

Closing his eyes in irritation, Jack sucked in a breath through his nose and took a quick glance back at Zhao and Zhen. The two of them were talking amongst themselves under their breath, chuckling and not paying attention to the teenagers in front of them. Summoning every last ounce of subtlety he had (which admittedly, wasn't much to begin with), he scooted a little closer to Jermaine until their shoulders were touching. "Okay," he whispered, his voice just barely audible, "So...we used to work together, right? You could say we were, uh, 'business partners.'"

"Uh-huh?"

"And we made a deal once. Sort of a...trade? I'd do him a good turn, he'd pay me back with some tech..."

_"Yeah...?"_

"Aaaand the deal didn't work out so well, and he still hasn't gotten over it. The end." Jack flashed him an anxious, manic grin. "That's about it! Nothing else to say!"

 _"...Riiiiiiiight,"_ said Jermaine, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing else to say."

"Nope."

"Nothing at all?"

"Nothing!"

"You're sure?"

"That's all there is." Behind his back, Jack crossed his fingers. "Scout's honor."

_"...Okay, we both know you're lying!"_

_"Of course I'm lying, Jermaine! Can't you just-?!"_

"Settle down, kids," said Zhen absentmindedly, his eyes still on his phone screen. His casual pose remained the same, but the thin layer of hostility under his words prompted the boys to fall silent.

In the polished reflection of the elevator doors, Jack caught sight of the girl watching him through her peripheral vision. When he made eye contact, she hurriedly looked away, her chest rising up and down just a little more rapidly than before.

HIs brow furrowed in suspicion. _Did she hear me?_

After another excruciatingly long minute, the elevator came to a halt and the doors opened. The two men ushered the teenagers out into a long hallway, and they walked down corridor after corridor for what seemed like an eternity. Forcing down the feeling of dread in his chest, Jack took careful note of the route they were taking, trying to commit it to memory and keeping a sharp eye out for additional ways to leave the building. He looked to his right, pretending to admire a painting instead of the fire exit right next to it, but when he turned back around, something odd caught his attention.

The girl from Newfoundland was sprinkling something on the ground. Every so often, she would reach into her shirt, lower her hand, and rub her fingers together, letting whatever it was fall to the floor silently, bit by bit. She was deliberate, making sure to switch hands to spread whatever it was evenly, but she was careful too. Her body language masked her actions flawlessly, and she kept her face blank and her eyes forward so her act wouldn't be compromised. Neither of the men behind her had noticed at all, and surprisingly, neither had Jermaine. Jack squinted as he watched the small things fall from her fingers, but they sunk into the carpet so seamlessly, he couldn't figure out what they were. Breadcrumbs? Pebbles?

Suddenly, she met his gaze, and, upon realizing he was watching her, widened her eyes in a silent but _very clear_ warning. It lasted only a second before she sunk back into a poker face, never once letting up on her actions. He stuck his tongue out at her in retaliation, but in the end, he took the hint and kept his mouth shut. As they continued on to their destination, he curiously watched her from the corner of his eye.

Soon they arrived in front of a set of wooden doors, which the two men unlocked and held open for them. They entered, and Jack found himself in a dimly lit but very impressive office. The furniture was all polished wood and velvet, and the air smelled strongly of men's cologne and incense. Far away, the club music continued to play, bleeding through the intricate wallpaper and reverberating through the lush carpet. He couldn't help but admire it as he felt himself being guided into one of the wooden chairs in front of the desk on the other side of the room.

"Make yourselves comfortable," said Zhao sardonically, walking back to the door. "The Boss is in a meeting. He'll be here with you shortly." He raised an eyebrow at his white-suited partner. "Zhen?" 

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine," he said dismissively, waving him away without looking up from his phone. "Go do the thing."

From behind his sunglasses, Zhao rolled his eyes and left, the door clicking shut behind him. 

For a while there was nothing but the sounds of Zhen immersing himself in a rousing game of Mindcreeper on his smartphone, with the three teenagers sitting quietly in their seats. Then, Jermaine turned to Jack as inconspicuously as he could, his curiosity burning a hole through his patience. "So, this 'ex-business partner' of yours," he began. "What _exactly_ does he do again?"

"Oh, you know," sighed Jack, tugging at his collar. "He's a busy guy. It's hard to put him into one category." 

_"Try,"_ hissed Jermaine, an edge of iron in his voice.

Jack groaned and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, averting Jermaine's gaze. "He's...well, he's not what you'd call your typical business man." Jack glanced over at the girl from Newfoundland, who was now eyeing the various bamboo and bonsai trees on the shelves intensely. "Pandabubba's not into the usual 9-to-5 deal. He's more like..."

 _"Like...?"_ pressed Jermaine, leaning forward on his chair.

"Like...the most notorious and ruthless crime boss in all of Hong Kong?" Jack finished with a pained grin.

From Jack's other side, the girl slowly turned to face him, utterly furious and utterly horrified.

Jermaine didn't fare any better. His eyes were bigger than saucers and his mouth was stretched in a thin, tight line as Jack's words sunk in. He took a deep breath through his nose, slowly turned forward, and folded his hands together across his lips. _"...Boi."_ he said finally. 

"L-look, there's no need to panic!" Jack lied as he sat up straighter in his seat. "I've got everything under control!"

Suddenly, a husky voice hissed in his ear. _"Define 'under control'."_

Jermaine looked over Jack's shoulder, and Jack turned to see that the girl had scooted closer, waiting for his answer with an expression of contempt on her face.

And with that, he lost his temper.

"Oh, _LOOK_ who decided to participate!" shouted Jack, prompting Zhen to look up from his phone behind him. "Don't give me that attitude, Canada! Need I remind you - _you're_ the one who wandered in here! _We_ followed _you!_ "

Zhen frowned, and Jermaine watched as he slid his phone into his pocket. "Uh, J-Jack?" he muttered nervously, nudging the redhead to get his attention. 

Jack ignored him, too busy relishing the flush of embarrassment on the girl's cheeks. "It was an accident!" she retorted, scrambling to piece her argument together. "I just...w-walked in, I didn't know this was a Yakuza hangout!"

"Yo, Kid-"

"The Yakuza are from Japan, idiot!" hissed Jack, jabbing a finger in her chest. "Know your crime syndicates and where they operate! If you're gonna run around in foreign cities, at least be _smart_ about it!"

"Dawg-?"

"I'm not the idiot here, b'y, YOU are!" she snapped, seething with indignation. "At least I'm not stupid enough to go around making deals with the Devil!"

"Taking big risks is the only way to get anywhere in life! High risk, high reward! If you don't make sacrifices to get what you want, you'll NEVER be happy." Jack's eyes narrowed as he looked her up and down. "But why am I even bothering to explain myself? A Newfie chick from some backwater fishing village could never understand that concept!"

_"Guys-?!"_

"I understand it just fine, skeet!" she said, her voice steadily growing louder. "More than you could ever know!"

"Pfft." Jack rolled his eyes in condescension. "I doubt it."

"You don't know anything about me!" she protested, her voice cracking with frustration.

"Maybe I don't know EVERYTHING about you, but I know trusting you might have been the biggest mistake of our lives."

She fell silent at that, her mouth opening and closing as she tried to come up with a reply. But she couldn't, and her fierce expression evaporated into doubt. Jack glared at her, his face only an inch away from hers as he gave her no mercy and refused to let her break eye contact. "I know enough. You're a thief, a _nutcase,_ and a really convincing actress. You can act all high and mighty if you want to Canada, but we both know that this mess we're in is all your fault."

Finally she sat back and looked down at the carpet, avoiding his eyes and at a loss for words. Jack straightened up and crossed his arms, basking in his triumph. "You wanna live to see tomorrow? Then when Pandabubba shows up, you keep your mouth shut and let ME do the talking."

"Trust me, that won't many any difference, kiddo."

Jack jumped and slowly looked back to a fearful Jermaine, then to Zhen, who had snuck up behind him during his argument. He smiled and clapped Jack on the shoulder, lowering his sunglasses just enough for him to make proper eye contact. "Talk all you want, Spicer," he said with a vicious grin. "You ain't getting out of this one."

Jack swallowed thickly, and a second later, the door opened.

A dozen men in black-and-white suits began to file into the room one by one, lining the walls and glancing curiously in their general direction. Jack turned in his seat and watched them enter, his anxiety levels rising as he felt the weight of all those stares upon him, and finally, at the end of the line of stone-faced men...

...There he was.

Jack's eyes widened as a large man in a fine suit stood at the door, with dark skin, sharp black claws, and yellowed eyes that glinted with malice. With his black-and-white clothing, and his hair permed and done up in two small puffs at the top of his head, he did indeed look remarkably like a panda. The rest of the men bowed their heads as he passed, and like a general preparing his soldiers for war, he strode into the room exuding authority.

"So," said Pandabubba in his deep, growly voice. "You kids thought you could sneak into my nightclub and have some fun." To Jack's surprise and dread, he gave a genuine chuckle, shaking his head and making his way to his polished desk. Settling himself down and folding his heavily-jeweled hands in front of him, Pandabubba closed his eyes pleasantly. "I must admit," he confessed. "I'm honestly not that upset at it. I was rambunctious myself when I was your age." He chuckled. "I certainly got into my fair share of trouble - more than any of you could imagine." His eyes opened again, narrowing as his face grew serious. "What I AM upset about is the fact that you three had the nerve to think you could ever pull a fast one on me. Especially... _you."_

His gaze fell on Jack, and the redhead's stomach sank to the floor.

 _"Jack Spicer,"_ said Pandabubba with disdain. "I thought I smelled garbage when I was walking in."

The comment sent a chill up Jack's spine, but like a performer before an angry crowd, his face split into a wide grin. "Bubba! Bay-bee!" He could feel the other teenager's judgmental stares as he began to chuckle nervously, desperately trying to lighten the oppressive atmosphere. "It's, uh, it's been a hot minute since I've seen you!" chirped the redhead as he ran his hand through his hair anxiously. "You're looking great! Is that a new suit?"

"It is," replied the mob boss casually. "Just bought it last week actually. So, what have you been up to, Jack?" He leaned back in his seat, never taking his eyes off of the quivering teenager. "Still chasing that 'World Domination' dream of yours?"

"Y-you know it!" Jack laughed, shooting him a wink and a huge grin.

"And how has that been going?"

Jack's grin faltered just a bit, but he recovered quickly. "Oh, it's...definitely goin'! It's, uh...hoo, boy. It's goin'." he answered, sitting back and drumming his fingers on his legs. "Anyways, enough about me. What, uh, what have you been up to?"

"Oh, the usual. Business deals here, business deals there. Finally decided to get out of my comfort zone and try something new." Pandabubba threw a hand up, gesturing to the room. "This venture has been keeping me pretty busy for the past year. Learning how to run a night club has been very...time consuming. Though, I must admit I've grown quite fond of this place. I was originally going to open up a _casino,_ but, hey," he shrugged, "The plot fell through." He raised an eyebrow at Jack, and the atmosphere suddenly got much colder. "Speaking of which, I've also been desperately trying to salvage what's left of my reputation." He frowned. and in the dim lighting of the office, his calm face turned sinister. "That incident between me and Tohomiko really did a number on my PR."

Jack's grin faded as he realized where this conversation was heading.

Pandabubba sat back up and snapped his fingers. One of the men on his right began to move into action, reaching for a decanter of alcohol on the far shelf and getting a glass ready for his boss. "Toshiro Tohomiko..." sighed Pandabubba as he watched his drink being made. "The man's a naive idiot, but I have to hand it to him - he's definitely made quite a name for himself. His games, company and work ethic are respected and recognized worldwide. His influence even reaches as far as the Emperor's Palace - can you imagine? _The Emperor's Palace."_ Pandabubba sighed again and shook his head. "After what happened between the two of us, gossip spread like wildfire. The press, the radio stations, internet chatrooms - it was all the Japanese people could talk about for months. Every last person from Hokkaido to Kyushu knows what happened between us."

Beads of sweat were trickling down Jack's brow as he watched the underling slide a glass of whisky across the table. Pandabubba caught it and took a long drink before he continued, lowering his eyes in something like sadness. "As of right now, I am no longer welcome in Japan. The National Police Agency was given strict orders to arrest me the second I step foot on Japanese soil." He scowled, his aura suddenly very dangerous as he looked up. "That collaboration between the two of us was more trouble than it was worth, Jack."

After an awkward beat of silence, Jack began to laugh nervously, shaking in his seat. He continued to laugh as he met the other two teenager's eyes briefly before looking back at Pandabubba. "W-well," he stammered, forcing a smile, "Y-you know what they say." He shrugged, holding his hands up. "You win some, you lose some, am I right?"

He didn't have to look to see that Jermaine and the girl were both covering their faces at his cringeworthy comment. He could feel it. 

"'Hmm." Pandabubba lifted an eyebrow thoughtfully. "Well, that is how the saying goes." He sat back a little, taking another sip of whiskey. "You managed to step foot in here undetected. What a win for you." His calm face split open into a malicious grin. "But I wonder what you'll lose before the night is over."

Jack sunk down in his seat, cowering before the man, holding his breath and waiting for him to leap across the table and rip him apart...

But he didn't.

Instead, he cleared his throat. "So, I see you're not alone, for once." Pandabubba roved his eyes over to the other two teenagers in the room, and Jack bit his lip in apprehension as the mafia boss coolly took in everything about them. He wrinkled his nose at Jermaine's burnt clothes, the girl's bare feet, her twitching hands and the symbols on Jermaine's arms for a moment or two before speaking. "You two are new," he said finally. "Are you... _friends_ of Jack?"

"That'd be a first," muttered Zhao, and Zhen snickered at the comment.

Wincing at the sting of their words, Jack's heart sped up as Jermaine coughed nervously. "Uh, actually, sir," he said, trying to look confident. "We're-"

"P-partners!"

Everyone turned to face Jack, and he looked around, realizing what he had just said. Pandabubba raised his eyebrow. _"Partners?"_ he asked flatly.

And like that, an idea came into his head. 

_Roll with the punches, Jack,_ he thought as he collected himself and leaned back casually in his chair. "Yep!" he said, clearing his throat and shooting Pandabubba a cheeky grin, "These two? They're with me - and trust me when I say, you don't want to mess with them." Thinking on his feet, Jack threw his arm around Jermaine's shoulders, puffing in chest out in fake confidence. "This guy's a _great_ Henchman! Pretty much the best I've ever had." He words earned him a bewildered and slightly disgusted look from Jermaine, but he ignored it as he patted him on the back. "He just started working for me about a week ago, and he's still a little wet behind the ears, but he's got promise, I can tell you that! He'll definitely be a heavy hitter for the Heylin someday!"

Jermaine grew rigid under his arm, and he glanced at Jack with a dark expression on his face. The girl noticed, raising her eyebrows in surprise, but Jack didn't catch on at all.

"Hmmph," said Pandabubba, looking Jermaine up and down. "You expect me to believe that this kid's Heylin material?" He scoffed. "I'm not impressed."

"W-well you should be!" replied Jack, willing himself to sound confident. "He may look like your typical boy-next-door, but he can take down guys three times his size! Four times on a good day!" Jack popped his collar with a smug grin. "Once I'm through with him, he'll be a Heylin legend among Heylin legends! And _she_ -"

"I ain't Heylin."

Jack blinked and turned to Jermaine. The shorter boy was fuming, his eyes bright with rage as he glared at Jack so fiercely, the redhead could almost feel his gaze piercing through him. "I'm _NOT_ Heylin," Jermaine spat, clenching his fists and rising to his feet.

Pandabubba raised his eyebrow, and Jack hurriedly tried to save the situation. "N-not _yet,_ " he said, standing up alongside Jermaine with a forced grin. "But you will be someday, buddy! Trust me!"

"No!" yelled Jermaine as he shoved Jack away. "I'm not Heylin, man! Don't you ever-!"

Jack's face fell as Jermaine froze in front of him. For a moment, the other boy's eyes grew distant and scared. But then, he shook his head like he was trying to rid himself of something before he glared at Jack again. "Don't you EVER say that again, do you hear me?! That was a mistake! What went down between me and Chase Young-!"

"Chase Young?"

The two boys turned to face Pandabubba, who had risen from his desk in surprise. "How do _you_ know-?" Suddenly, he paused in mid-sentence, realization dawning on his face as he stared at Jermaine. "...It's you," he murmured, his voice reverent. "You're his Apprentice."

Jack's eyes grew big as he watched Jermaine, taking note of the way he went still at the word "Apprentice."

"Uh, Boss?" From behind the desk, Zhen bent closer to Pandabubba. "I thought Chase Young didn't 'do' apprenticeships."

"He didn't. But that changed." Pandabubba walked around the desk, never taking his eyes off of Jermaine as he did so. "In all his years spent on this planet, Chase Young never trained anyone, not a _soul_...until he caught wind of some up-and-coming hotshot from New York City. From what I've heard, that kid joined the local Xiaolin dojo in his neighborhood and shot his way up to Wudai Warrior in record time. It takes most people decades to reach true Xiaolin Grand Master status - but they said, at the rate he was going, it would only take him a few _years."_

Jack watched as Pandabubba stopped before Jermaine, gazing at him appraisingly even as the short boy glowered up at him in furious silence. The man tilted his head and smiled almost approvingly at Jermaine's hate-filled expression. "From what I've heard, there was an ulterior motive to his offer to train you...but that doesn't change the fact that you accepted it." He grinned. "Chase Young doesn't do _anything_ halfway, even if it _is_ just a trick." He leaned down closer to Jermaine. "Tell me, little Heylin warrior...are you really as good as they say you are?"

Jermaine's nostrils flared. "You keep calling me 'Heylin'....you're finna find out the hard way."

Jack froze, his heart thumping loudly in his chest as he waited for one of the men around them to attack Jermaine for his insolence. But Pandabubba burst into loud, raucous laughter, and to Jack's immense surprise and relief, his underlings joined in.

"Hey, I _like_ this kid!" laughed Pandabubba, as he wiped a tear from his eye, "Well, I can certainly see why Chase picked you, young man! I think you'd take up his mantle quite nicely."

"N...No! That's not true! I'M NOT HIS-!"

"You keep saying that, but somehow I'm not convinced. Luckily, I know how to solve this. Jack!"

Jack jumped and looked back at Pandabubba, who was gazing at him expectantly. "You're the fanboy. You know everything about Chase and who he associates with. This is him, right?" He pointed at Jermaine. "This is Chase Young's Apprentice?"

"I..." Jack faltered, and looked back at Jermaine for a second. There was a silent plea in the other boy's eyes, something that wasn't quite fear and wasn't quite desperation, and for a moment, Jack considered lying.

_"Jack."_

Jack sighed, his gaze growing apologetic as he succumbed to cowardice. "Yeah," he replied, wincing at the unexpected guilt pooling in his stomach. "That's...that's him."

Jermaine's face fell, and he turned his back on the redhead in disgust. Jack deflated slightly, and suddenly the distance between them felt a lot farther than it should have been.

Pandabubba, on the other hand, was glowing at his words. "I knew it," he chuckled. "And I really can see why he picked you. Your skill, your strength, your potential - and not only did you have the audacity to break in here, but you were bold enough to call me out on my own turf, in front of my own men." He grinned, his smile toothy and sinister. "There couldn't have been anyone more perfect for the job."

Jermaine ground his teeth in irritation, but as Pandabubba's words sank in, a look of shame flashed across his face. Beside him, Jack was suddenly, inexplicably filled with the urge to say something, anything, to make him feel better. But before he could act on that urge, his attention was occupied by Pandabubba turning to the last teenager in the room. The girl shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her hand beginning to twitch again as the mafia boss gazed at her expectantly. "So, out with it," he said casually. "Xiaolin or Heylin? Where do you fall?"

Her eyebrows flew up, and Jack flew to her defense. "Whoa, Panda, baby, she's with me, remember?" He looked to her, trying to hide the contempt in his voice as he forced a smile. "She's my new....well, I haven't decided what she's supposed to be, but she works for me. Helps me around the lab, gets me scrap metal, takes my calls - you get the picture. I mean..." He leaned up against the desk. "To be honest, she's basically eye candy. Really, _really_ dumb eye candy. And between you and me?" He lowered his voice to a dramatic and loud whisper. "She's not quite right in the head, if you catch my drift."

The girl shot him a vicious look as she stewed in silent rage.

"But come on, PB." He winked in the girl's direction, and she almost snarled in anger at his cheek. "Every evil genius needs some extra muscle, right?"

Jack turned to Pandabubba, and his smile faltered as the man snorted into his alcohol before setting his glass on the desk.

"Oh, come now," the man said with a dangerous smile. "There's no need for anymore games, Jack. I highly doubt Chase's Apprentice would ever willingly associate with people of your caliber, and I know for sure that this young lady has nothing to do with you." He looked over his shoulder. "Zhao."

The black-suited man came forward, bowing respectfully as he set the Golden Tiger Claws on the desk. Pandabubba picked up the Wu in his hands, running his fingers over the sleek metal before looking back over at the girl. "I checked the security footage before I came. She was here a good hour an a half before you two arrived. And from what my men have told me, she wasn't too keen to run into either of you."

Jack gulped, but didn't reply.

Pandabubba raised an eyebrow at him before he nodded to the girl. "You hid it well, but you were in possession of this Shen Gong Wu from the minute you stepped in here. Now I still don't exactly know _how_ you got in - I'll have to install more cameras - but I can see that look in your eyes, girl." He tilted his head in amusement. "You know _exactly_ what these are and what they're capable of."

The girl said nothing, keeping her face blank even as her hand kept twitching. Pandabubba leaned forward, eyeing her with a slightly irritated gaze. "So. I'll ask _again."_ He motioned for her to speak. "Xiaolin, or Heylin?"

There was a long stretch of silence between the two, and Jack watched in mild fascination as the girl's fingers kept tapping rapidly on her legs as she tried to wait out his question. Even her head began to jerk to the side every so often in slight, but noticeable movements. But finally, after a brief eternity, she gave up. "Neither," she answered, masking her head twitches and pretending to scratch at her cheek.

"Neither? Huh. Now _that's_ interesting." Pandabubba took another sip of alcohol before he spoke again. "What's your name, girl?"

She fell silent again, flicking her eyes to the plants around the room. Despite his growing sense of dread, Jack raised an eyebrow at the way she turned to face a pothos and its vines on the far shelf. "Uh..." She looked around the room before finally staring into his eyes again. "Sorry, what was the question?"

Zhao sighed and Zhen sniggered at her answer respectively. Pandabubba blinked, unamused, before he pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Never mind," he said. "It doesn't even matter." He snapped his fingers, and two underlings opened the doors to the room. "You're free to go."

"Uh-!" Her jaw dropped open. "R-really?"

"Eh." Pandabubba shrugged. "I'm not in the mood to reprimand you any more than I have already. I'm sure your parents will chew you out when you get home tonight."

She looked down at her lap and said nothing.

"As for me," continued Pandabubba, "I have a legitimate business to run." He nodded to the door. "My men will escort you out. _Don't_ come back. "And take these with you." His nose wrinkled in disgust as he grabbed the Golden Tiger Claws from the table and threw them at her. "I've had enough run-ins with Shen Gong Wu for one lifetime. The consequences are never worth it."

 _"What?!"_ Jack watched openmouthed as the girl caught the Shen Gong Wu, nearly tripping over herself to keep it from falling to the ground. Rage overriding sense, he whirled to face Pandabubba. "You're just gonna _give_ it to her, just like that?!"

Pandabubba met his eyes with a cold glare. "If she wants to get herself killed by playing with ancient artifacts, that's her business," he replied. "And as for you..." He turned to face Jermaine, and, to everyone's immense surprise, gave him a small bow. "It was an honor to meet you, young man. I've heard a LOT about you. Give Chase my regards."

Jermaine stared at him for a long, long time before he finally turned away, his face uncharacteristically dark. "Come on, Kid," he said quietly, walking past the girl and making a point to ignore Jack. "Let's get out of here."

The girl watched him walk to the door and obediently followed, looking back over her shoulder at Jack. Jack stepped forward to leave as well, but his blood turned cold when he felt a pair of clawed hands unexpectedly clamp down on his shoulders.

"Not so fast."

Slowly, painfully, the redhead turned his head just enough to catch sight of Pandabubba's face, his eyes filled with malicious intent. "I excused _them._ But you?" He shook his head slowly. "You aren't leaving this room. We all pay our dues in the end, Jack." His grip on Jack's shoulders tightened enough to make Jack wince in pain as he hissed in Jack's ear. "And you've got a _lot_ to answer for."

Jermaine froze in his tracks, looking over his shoulder in concern. Next to him, the girl covered her mouth with her hands, eyes flicking around to all of the potted plants in the room before falling on Jack again. She watched as Jermaine stepped forward, determination on his face. "Hey-!" he barked out, but before he could say anything else, two men each took out a gun from inside their coats and pointed them at him. The girl's breath hitched when the man behind her did the same, holding her by the shoulder and pressing the gun to the back of her head while keeping his gaze on Jermaine. Jermaine seethed in silent fury, but he dared not take any step further for her sake. Trying to find a way out of the situation, Jermaine looked back over at Jack, but Jack was too busy wrapped up in his own problems to notice.

"H-hey..." Jack quivered as he looked around, realizing that the remaining men in the room were closing in on him. "Hey, take it easy!" he said, trying to back away. "We can work this out!"

"We're about to," said Pandabubba as one of his mooks shoved Jack forward from behind. The mafia boss gripped the boy by his collar and brought him close. "I don't like losing Jack. I've told you before."

"W-w-wait, I can-! I can get you more Wu-!"

"I don't want Wu."

"How about money?! Tech?! My loyal servitude?! Anything?!"

Jack's eyes moved back and forth as he tried to find a way out, but it was no use - he was completely surrounded, and two of the men reached out and held him by the shoulders while Pandabubba crossed his arms coolly. "Forget it, Jack. There's nothing you could offer me that I would want. You were utterly worthless to me when I met you, and you're utterly worthless to me now." His lip curled in contempt."You will die as you lived - cowardly, pathetic and completely **alone.** "

Jack winced at his words, sinking into his collar like a turtle retreating into its shell. "Oh, man..." he whimpered.

"This is our last conversation, Jack Spicer," said Pandabubba, watching the teenager cower in twisted satisfaction. "Any final - ?"

"W-WOOD!"

There was a flurry of noise behind him - something that hit the ceiling, something that sounded like a whip, and screaming. Out of nowhere, the two underlings who had pulled their guns on Jermaine rushed past Jack like a sudden summer breeze. The men who were restraining Jack suddenly loosened their hold as their companions crashed into them, leaving them a groaning, tangled pile of limbs on the floor. Jack whirled around to try to understand what was happening, and he backed away in fear and bewilderment at what he saw. "W-what the-?!"

The girl from Newfoundland was standing in the doorway, her hair floating eerily in the air as if blown by some phantom wind. There was something surrounding her, some kind of aura that glowed a vivid green around her body and in her eyes. Writhing out of her sleeves were vines, thick and healthy. One of them was strangling the man who had pulled a gun on her, and it slammed him into the ceiling one final time before releasing its hold and letting his unconscious body fall to the floor. The others in the room took a step back as the vines began to wind themselves around her arms, dragging onto the floor and moving back and forth like angry pythons. Beside her, Jermaine stared, wide-eyed and slack-jawed.

Before anyone could say anything, she pulled one arm back and swung it forward. Jack felt something wind itself around his ribcage and he screamed in surprise as she pulled him over to her. Grunting with effort, she shielded him protectively and swung her other arm around, breaking every single flower pot in the room in one fell swoop. The remaining gangsters screamed and took cover, and Pandabubba pressed himself up against the far wall, eyes bulging in terror. "What are you-?! What ARE you?!" he cried.

"Wu Xing Gaia: Wood!" shouted the girl. In one fluid and graceful motion, the vines crept back up her sleeves, and she lowered herself into a fighting stance, spun around and raised her arms high above her head.

A wave of green light rippled outwards from her body, passing through the other humans in the room and reaching the plants littered all around them. They began to glow green, ballooning in size as the men scrambled to get out of their way. To everyone's surprise, the plants were soon as big, if not bigger, than any of the gangsters in the room. As the bamboo shot upwards into the ceiling and showered them with plaster, the bonsai trees began to move, using their twisting roots as arms and legs. The men began to scream as they found themselves assaulted by houseplants, some desperately trying to avoid getting hit by branches while others tried to pry strangling vines off of their necks. Pandabubba himself struggled to hold his own against his prized jade plant, now nine feet tall and built like a tank. It was Bedlam, and it was beautiful.

 _"Whoa!"_ cried Jack and Jermaine in unison.

"Come on!" cried the girl. Before they realized what was happening, she latched onto their wrists and pulled them into the hallway.

As Pandabubba dodged a blow from his jade, he watched them run out the door and seethed with anger. "Little _witch!"_ he snarled. Snatching his whiskey off the table, he downed it in one drink, pulled out a lighter and lit it as he breathed straight at the plant golem. The jade squealed in agony as it ignited in flames, slowly shrinking down to its original size as Pandabubba breathed heavily and looked around the room. "After them!" he shouted, glaring at his men. "Forget the plants! Don't let those brats get away!"

Meanwhile, in the twisting hallways below the Jade Forest, Jack felt himself being dragged this way and that as the girl navigated them through the building. "I - wha - you - Wait-!" He tripped over his words, trying to piece together what was happening while a million questions buzzed around in his mind. But only one left his lips. "Canada, since when could you do _that?!_ "

"It's Timber!"

He fell silent, stumbling a little as the girl quickly yanked him and Jermaine around a corner. "My name is not Canada! It's _Timber,_ okay?! Now would you kindly _shut up and MOVE YOUR ARSE?! **JEEZ-US!"**_

"W-wait," stuttered Jermaine, feeling the words tumble out of his mouth. "Which way are we supposed to go?!"

"Look down!"

Jermaine was about to ask her why, but his words died in his throat as he saw that plants were sprouting up out of the thick carpet under his feet. To his mild horror, the flowers and clover seemed to be MOVING, and one of them glomped onto Timber's leg and crawled up her body with surprising tenacity. Poking through her hair, a small white mushroom peeked out at him, and waved one little arm in friendly greeting. Jermaine, unable to bring himself to speak, began to hyperventilate as more wildflowers and mushrooms made their way up Timber's body.

"Seeds!" shouted Jack, understanding flashing across his face as he watched the grass stretch on into the distance. "Those were SEEDS! Haha! I get it now-!"

"Just RUN, you idiot!"

They followed the patches of green through the halls, their ribs aching with exhaustion until finally, they saw it in the distance. Eyes brightening with relief, Timber dragged them down the corridor, shoved them into the elevator and nearly tripped over herself as she began to hastily push the button to the top floor. "Come on, come on, come on!" she muttered under her breath. "Move, you stupid, GOOD-FOR-NOTHING, _SON OF A-!"_

Just then, Pandabubba and his men rounded the corner, their clothes bedraggled and their hair full of leaves. _"Get them!"_ screamed the mafia boss, and as his men began to race down the hallway, the elevator still showed no signs of obeying.

"No!" shrieked Jack, trembling in fear as he clung to Jermaine. "I don't want to die!"

"You ain't dying yet, skeet!"

Before they could process what was happening, Jack and Jermaine watched as Timber leapt out of the elevator and assumed another stance. "Wood!" she shouted, throwing down more seeds on the floor.

A wall of thorny vines sprung up at the elevator's entrance, and the men in the hallway paused, hesitant to get any closer. Steadying her breathing, Timber glanced down at the flowers and mushrooms on her shoulders. "Stay with them!" she barked. "Keep them safe until I catch up with you!"

The little plant golems obeyed, nodding and saluting as they hopped off of her body and toddled into the elevator with the boys. Jack edged away from them, screaming shrilly, while Jermaine looked back at Timber through the brambles and thorns. "W-what about you?" he panted.

"I'm a big girl, Chief. I can take care of myself. You go on ahead. I'll be alright."

"Wait..." Jermaine stepped forward, his voice cracking in fear as he realized what she was doing. "WAIT-!"

"JERMAINE."

He paused, and she turned to glare back at him with determined eyes. _"Get. Moving."_ she hissed.

Jermaine's heart skipped a beat, and he shook his head and opened his mouth to argue. But before he could say one word, he felt someone's arms wrap around him tightly. Struggling to hold back a squirming, protesting Jermaine, Jack smashed his hand on one of the elevator buttons, and a soft 'ding' echoed through the hallway as the doors slid closed.

With that, Timber turned back to the men in the hall, still holding their breath and anxiously waiting for her move. Pandabubba stared at her, a mixture of fear and hatred in his eyes as he cracked his knuckles nervously. "Who are you?" he asked, his breath coming out short.

"My name is Timber Wilde," she answered, her expression dark. "And I'm the most dangerous thing in this building right now."

Behind her, the vines that had been blocking their way to the elevator began to writhe and twist, hissing like snakes and growing ever more sinister-looking by the second. Everyone in the hallway began to back away from her, and when some of them turned to run, their hearts sank when they realized that the bonsai soldiers they had left behind earlier were now blocking their way.

"Redwood Ragnarok: Wood," murmured Timber, and quicker than lightning, the vines behind her shot forward, tearing through the walls and the ceiling like paper....

\---------------------

_"WHAT?!_ What was _that?!"_

The buttercups and clovers at Jack's feet squeaked in fear, scrambling to get out of his way as he paced back and forth in the elevator. _"Seriously, what the heck WAS that?!"_ he screeched, his voice going up several octaves. Trying to control his wheezing, panicked breaths, he latched onto Jermaine and shook him by the shoulders in a fit of desperation. "I mean I'm not going crazy from the adrenaline, right?! Jermaine, y-you saw that, right?! She really did that, RIGHT?! I'm not having an episode?! This is ACTUALLY happen-?! _OW!"_

Jack stumbled backwards, rubbing the spot on his shoulder where Jermaine had punched him. He opened his mouth to yell at him, but was taken aback by the fierce rage in Jermaine's eyes. "Why did you do that?!" Jermaine screamed as the plant golems trembled and hid their faces in fear. "Why did you just leave her there?! She SAVED you!"

"She told us to!" Jack shot back angrily. "She was buying us time so WE could escape! We were outnumbered, w-w-we didn't have weapons-!"

"So what?! She needs our help!" Breathing fast, Jermaine dashed to the elevator buttons on the wall. "We have to go back-!"

"Whoa!" Out of instinct, Jack reached out and pinned Jermaine's arms behind his back, just like he had learned in his self-defense classes. "Nononononono! _Hold up!_ Let's talk about this-!"

"There's no time to TALK!" shouted Jermaine as he effortlessly threw Jack forward into the elevator wall. "We gotta go!"

"Ohhhh..." Jack groaned in pain as he rubbed the sore spot on his head, ignoring the mushrooms crawling up his arms to see if he was alright. But within seconds, he shook off the dizziness and snarled in anger. "GET A GRIP, JERMAINE!"

Before he could turn around, Jack tackled the shorter boy to the ground before reaching up and hitting the bright red 'Emergency Stop' button. The elevator car came to a screeching halt as Jack pinned the other boy down underneath him and pressed his face close. "That chick didn't SACRIFICE HERSELF just so you could run right into the line of fire again! She wanted us to leave! She wanted us TO ESCAPE. And why are you running back to her so fast, anyways?! For once in your life, THINK BEFORE YOU PLAY HERO! Did you see what she could do?! Those vines, these....things?!" Jack glanced around at the plant golems watching their argument. "W-we don't know if she's some witch o-or demon, we don't know WHO that girl is-!"

_"She's the Dragon of Wood!"_

There was a fat beat of silence between the two, with nothing but the sound of the old-fashioned Chinese music overhead. Jack slowly sat up, blinking in confusion as Jermaine's words sunk in. "...What? Dragon of - Dragon of WOOD?" He clapped a hand to his forehead, shaking his head. "I thought there were only four Xiaolin Dragons! Earth, Wind, Fire, Water?!"

"Not anymore," replied Jermaine, sitting up as his anger cooled. "Last month, I got a call from Omi. Master Fung told them that there were signs of another Dragon on the rise. Rai was supposed to start looking for them this summer, but..." He trailed off and looked away. "That didn't happen."

Jack did not answer, looking down at his feet and trying to ignore the sharp emotions in his stomach.

The daisies and violets puttered their way up to Jermaine, patting him comfortingly. He gently stroked their petals in thought and let out a long breath. "But we didn't need to find her," he said. "She found us. And she's...she's STRONG, but...I can't just run and leave her behind." He shook his head and looked up at at Jack, the fire in his eyes reigniting. "...We have to go back. I failed Omi once, but I am NOT failing him again. If I can't bring back the Crown of the Monkey King, then I can at least keep the Dragon of Wood safe. You hear me? I'm not going to lose her and I will _never_ leave someone to die."

Jack's eyes glimmered with emotion as Jermaine stood up and turned away from him. "We're going back, Spicer," he said over his shoulder, "And that's fi-"

Without warning, something slammed into the elevator from up above and cut his sentence short.

The force was enough to send Jermaine off of his feet and stumbling backwards onto the floor, and Jack screamed shrilly as the lights of the elevator car flickered and shut off. Frozen in fear and left in pitch darkness, the two listened as something, or someone, walked above their heads. Backing away from the noise, the two found each other in the dark and held each other's hand tightly as the noise suddenly stopped...

And something punched its way through the roof of the elevator car.

The boys screamed loudly and clung to each other as they watched a monstrous, tree-like arm flex its fingers in front of them and touch the ground. Bioluminescent moss and lichen growing on its bark illuminated the elevator car and bathed them in an eerie green light, and the boys watched incredulously as something carefully lowered itself in with them. Hanging from the ceiling by another tree-like arm and covered in glowing moss and mushrooms, a terrifying plant creature grinned down at them with a jagged mouth cut through its bark, the two eyeholes in its trunk glowing with pleasure. "Hey!" it said. "How's it going, eh?"

 _"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"_ was their response, and the creature's smile faded fast as Jack, in a fit of terror, yanked off a boot and aimed for its face. It was a direct hit, and the plant creature came crashing down into the elevator car with them. Screaming bloody murder, Jack yanked off his other boot and Jermaine readied himself into a battle stance-

"Nonono, wait!" the creature cried, holding its arms up in surrender. "I'm here to rescue you, I'M HERE TO RESCUE YOU, _PLEASE STOP!"_

Breathing hard, Jermaine stood up, recognizing the familiar lilt in some of the creature's words. "Kid?" he asked, stepping forward. "Is that you?!"

"Of course it's me!" answered the creature, and the two boys felt their jaws drop as the mouth on the creature's face opened up to reveal a familiar head of blonde hair. The bark and leaves encompassing Timber's body disappeared, crawling back up her sleeves and into her baggy clothes. She reached down and tossed Jack his boot with a scowl, and he stumbled backwards at the force of her throw. "By the way - nice aim, skeet," she said sarcastically. "Is that the thanks I get for saving your skin?"

Some of the plant golems around them began to squeak angrily at Jack, raising their tiny fists at him in indignation at his assault. The others cried out in happiness at her arrival and tottered up to her for hugs. Their petals and leaves began to glow as well, and despite everything, she found herself laughing and nuzzling them affectionately. "Aww, babies!" she chirped, tickling a fat little mushroom with her finger. "You did so good, you kept an eye on them for me, yes you did, yes you did!" To Jack's mild disgust, she made smoochy noises at them like an old lady with her cat, and the other plants at his feet ran over to her for attention as well.

" _Sweet Hedy Lamarr,_ " breathed Jack as his fear was replaced by frustration. "What were you thinking, busting in here looking like that?! You are NOT doing any favors for my blood pressure!"

"I'm sorry!" she apologized, cradling the glowing flowers in her arms. "I ran up to another floor to try to call the elevator up - but you never came. I thought the elevator got stuck, so I climbed down here to see if you were alright." She looked over Jack's shoulder, eyeing Jermaine worriedly. "Are you two okay?"

"...Yeah," said Jermaine, staring at the glowing mushrooms on her hair and shoulders. "Yeah, we're fine." As his shock evaporated, he gave her a small smile. "It's good to see yo-"

"Yeah, yeah, she's alive, we're all happy, blah blah blah!" interrupted Jack as he stepped forward and jabbed a finger in her chest. "Forget that! When exactly were you planning on telling us you were _magic_ , Canada?!"

“I don’t know! Never?!" she retorted, backing away. "Does that really matter right now?! I need to get you two out of here! And I told you already," she said, shoving him angrily, "It's TIMBER!”

Jack snorted and shoved her right back. “Okay, now I _know_ you're messing with me, because there is no way that's your real name." The redhead rolled his eyes, his usual sarcasm creeping back into his voice. "You have plant-based powers and your name is 'Timber'? Really?" He crossed his arms. _"That's a little on the nose, don't you think?!"_

 _" **Jeez-us,"**_ she muttered as she massaged her temples. "It's a _nickname,_ alright, skeet?! I got it when I was little, and it just sort of stuck! Now EVERYONE calls me Timber!"

"Nickname?" Jack stared. "Then what the heck _IS_ your real name?!"

"No one cares right now! We've got bigger problems! Now shut up and let me save you!" She shoved him away and cricked her neck before easing into another stance, the seeds under her clothes already beginning to sprout. "I managed to take down most of those creeps back there, but Pandabutter and the two that took us to him got away."

"Pandabubba," corrected Jack.

"Oh, like it matters!" she snapped. Within moments, her tree-like arms had returned, and she reached up to hang from the ceiling of the elevator car again. "If they're smart, they would have run away, but I'm not going to risk staying here longer than I have to. We need to keep moving and get out as fast as we can."

"You're not going to take us back to the nightclub level, are you?" asked Jermaine. He rubbed his shoulder awkwardly as he looked her up and down, eyeing the fungi poking out of her hair and the glowing moss on her jeans. "Don't take this the wrong way, but-"

"I'd probably incite a riot if I went up there looking like this?" she finished, smiling gently.

"...I mean, I wasn't gonna say that, but..."

"It's okay, and you're right. It's too risky to go up there. If things go South and I have to use my powers, I might hurt someone. That is, if they don't hurt ME first." She shook her head. "No, b'y, I'm taking you back to the window I snuck in through. Pandabutter - "

"Panda _BUBBA!"_ yelled Jack.

 _"Whatever!"_ she snapped at him. "He won't be expecting us to go out through there! It's not an exit, and no normal human would be able to get in or out of there! He'll never see it coming, so that's where we're headed! It's on the next floor, now let's get going!" She reached her arm down. "Come on, I'll help you up."

Jermaine stepped forward to grab onto her monstrous hand, but Jack stayed in his spot and didn't budge. The shorter boy turned, raising an eyebrow. "Jack, you coming, dawg?" 

Jack bit his lip before answering directly to Timber. "Earlier today, you left us to rot in a basement. Don't think I've forgotten." He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You ran out on us before. What makes you think I trust you enough to get me out of here?"

She frowned and flicked her gaze over to him. "What makes you think you have any other choice?" she challenged.

Jack puffed himself up, more than ready to throw some words. But when he opened his mouth, nothing came out, and a sour grimace eventually crept across his face. "...This doesn't make us friends," he huffed, marching forward and wrapping his arms around her trunk-like wrist. "Well? What are you waiting for? Get the lead out, Poison Ivy."

"Please stop talking, please stop talking," she muttered under her breath, and she pulled the two out of the elevator car and towards their freedom.

\-----------------------

They clung to her for dear life as she scaled the walls of the elevator shaft up to the next level, the golems and lichen on her shoulders lighting the way. Once they had reached the next level, they took off racing through the hallways, following her to her exit. Despite their eagerness to escape, Jack and Jermaine couldn't help but note the condition of the building around them. Grass streaked through the carpet, ivy grew on the walls, and every now and then they'd have to avoid trees that blocked their path. Every corridor they ran through looked more and more like a forest grove, and as they hurried past one hallway, a streak of bright color caught Jermaine's eye. _"What-"_

"Uh-uh!" said Timber, pulling him back. "Don't get too close, or you'll end up like the rest of them!"

"Who's-?" began Jermaine, but as he looked down, he got his answer.

A handful of Pandabubba's mooks lay facedown in a hallway filled with vibrant poppies, each one snoring softly. The gangster nearest Jermaine nuzzled the scarlet petals dreamily, and Jermaine watched as glimmering particles of pollen floated upwards into the air. "What did you do to them?" he asked, watching the man drool in his sleep.

"What does it look like I did?" she answered, shrugging. "They should be out for a good five or six hours. Seven at the most. Maybe eight if any of them haven't eaten anything recently." As she caught sight of the horrified expression on Jermaine's face, she held up her hands in surrender. "Relax, Chief, they're _fine!_ They're just going to have a nice, long nap! And when they wake up, we'll be long gone."

"Oh, that is SO cool!"

Both Jermaine and Timber whirled around in surprise. Realizing what he just blurted out, Jack turned red and looked away, coughing into his hand. "I mean...whatever." He crossed his arms, his frown deepening into a childish pout. "Magic sleeping flowers. No big deal. Certainly not a power I wish I had."

"No, of course not," teased Jermaine, giving him a small smile.

Jack turned a deeper shade of red and huffed angrily as he snatched something from a sleeping gangster's jacket. "Can we just go already, Canada?! Your landscaping projects are giving me the creeps!"

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled. "It's just around the corner, okay? Just follow me and - "

_**"WHERE IS SHE?!"**_

The three froze, their hearts filling with dread at the sound of footsteps steadily growing louder. Before either of the boys could react, Timber grabbed their hands and summoned her vines. They pulled the three of them upwards, plastering the teens to the ceiling while dozens of leaves camouflaged them. The moment they were completely out of view, Pandabubba and his two right hand men rounded the corner. They were a mess, their suits ripped and their skin littered with cuts and bruises, and as he saw his fallen men snoozing in the flowers, Pandabubba seethed with rage. "Wake up, you idiots!" he screamed, beginning to march into the hall. "You're letting that foreign brat and her cohorts get away!"

But he only made it a few steps before he began to grow dizzy. The three teenagers on the ceiling watched as the enormous man swayed softly, his gaze unfocused and distant as he wobbled on unsteady legs.

"Boss!"

Before Pandabubba could truly succumb to the effects of the poppies, Zhen reached forward and pulled him back, his eyebrows knitted together in concern. "Stay away from those plants, they're doing something to you!"

"Are you okay?!" asked Zhao.

"I'm....I'm fine." Shaking his head to try to steady himself, Pandabubba groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Well, then! I guess it's just the three of us now," he growled. With an exhausted sigh, he rounded on his underlings with a fresh sense of purpose. "Zhao! Zhen! I want that witch dead before the night is over, do you hear me?! Find her and tear her apart! I don't care how! I don't even care if there's anything left of her to bring back! If you find her, you kill her on sight! NOBODY makes a fool of me!"

Up on the ceiling, Jermaine glanced sideways at Timber for her reaction. She cringed at Pandabubba's words, but when she met Jermaine's eyes, she feigned indifference before turning her attention back to the conversation below.

"What about the others?" asked Zhao dutifully. "You want us to kill them too?"

"Do what you want with Chase's Apprentice. If he gives them up and runs, so be it. But if he puts up any fight whatsoever, put him to the test and see if he's as good as the stories say."

Zhao smiled. "Can do."

"And Spicer?" asked Zhen.

Pandabubba grit his teeth, radiating hatred. "...You bring that brat to me. I want the satisfaction of killing him myself." His fists clenched and trembled. "Now, do you two understand your orders?"

The two men nodded.

"Good. Now GO!"

And with that, Zhao and Zhen split up, racing down opposite hallways. Taking one last look back at the sea of scarlet poppies, Pandabubba growled and punched a nearby painting in frustration, cracking the glass beneath his fist. "I swear, those brats are so close, I can SMELL them."

Up on the ceiling, Jermaine and Timber glanced sideways at each other worriedly, but a sudden movement to their left caught their attention. They looked to Jack, and the color drained from their faces. The redhead's eyes were watering like crazy, his nose twitching and leaking mucus. Fighting back the inevitable, Jack clapped a hand over his nose and mouth, willing every ounce of his being to stay silent and praying for Fate to deal him a good hand for once.

Fate said no.

"AH- _CHOO!"_

Pandabubba looked up, his eyes widening. "What-?!"

But his words were cut short when the vines disappeared, and Jermaine dropped out of the ceiling and landed a perfect kick to his face. The man howled in agony as Jack, Jermaine and Timber hit the floor running. As the two boys got a head start down a third hallway, Timber snatched a poppy from off the ground and blew the pollen directly at Pandabubba's face before turning around and making her own escape.

"Zhao! Zhen!" Pandabubba coughed, trying to wave away the cloud of shimmering pollen. "They're here! Stop them!"

The three teenagers ran through the halls together, hopping over tree roots and unconscious mobsters. "Nice going, skeet!" snapped Timber. "You blew our cover!"

"It wasn't on purpose!" retorted Jack. "I have allergies! _Pollen triggers them!_ If anything, this is your fault!"

"Oh, you WOULD have allergies!"

"Would y'all stop fighting for two seconds and RUN?!" cried Jermaine. But at that moment, he rounded a corner, and at the other end of the hallway, Pandabubba's henchmen did the same. "HEY!" cried Zhen, but the teens were already bolting away as fast as they could.

"Okay, forget that!" yelled Jermaine as he picked a room at random and ran in. "Let's go this way!"

"Is there an exit here?!" panted Jack, looking around for a window. But before Jermaine could reply, Timber ran screaming at the wall, her vines crawling out of her sleeve and forming a tree arm. She leapt in the air and, with a loud crash, punched the wall as hard as she could. It crumbled away, and after the dust settled, the three were left staring out into the city of Hong Kong.

"There's your exit!" she chirped cheerfully at the other's exasperated expressions.

Tiptoeing over to the edge, Jack peered out over the broken brick, scuttling away almost immediately after getting vertigo from the view. "We've gotta be like four or five levels above the ground!" cried Jack. "How do you expect us to get down from-?"

"Hurry! They went this way!"

Looking over their shoulders worriedly, the boys turned to Timber, who was tossing the seeds in her pockets over the edge of the wall. "Kid, PLEASE tell me you have a plan!" begged Jermaine, gripping her shoulders desperately.

"Uhhhh, yeah!" She grabbed his wrist with a grin. "How about we jump?"

" _NO!_ Nonononono! I asked for a plan, that's NOT A PLAN-!" yelled Jermaine, but Timber ignored him. Taking Jack's hand before he had time to protest, she looked to the mushroom golems on her shoulders. "You know what to do!" she told them.

Her little soldiers nodded before jumping off of her shoulders and down towards the ground below. Jack watched them go with bulging eyes. "Wait, stop!" he screamed, but Timber just winked at him, and with a protesting, panicking Jermaine in one hand and a hysterical, shrieking Jack in the other, Timber ran towards the edge and jumped.

Jack and Jermaine screamed their heads off as they fell over the edge, and as they hurtled toward the ground, they clung to Timber, waiting for their bones to be crushed to bits on the concrete below -

But that isn't what happened.

Beneath them, the mushroom soldiers that had fallen before them ballooned in size as they neared the ground. Each one shot upwards to an enormous height, and as their roots crept down past the concrete, they formed an irregular set of stairs with their wide, flat heads. The three teens only fell five feet before they reached their first toadstool, bouncing from one gigantic mushroom to the next until finally, they landed softly in a dense bed of flowers created by the seeds Timber had thrown down earlier. The three teenagers lay flat on their backs in a sea of daisies and clover, chests fluttering up and down as they recovered from their fall.

"...Huh," said Timber thoughtfully, "I...actually wasn't expecting that to work. Like, at all!" Laughing in relief, she clapped a hand to her forehead and snorted with mirth. "B'y, can you believe we actually survived that?!"

Jack made a squeaky noise in his throat.

"Yeah, I know, right?" Still laughing, she pulled herself up and dusted the petals off of her clothes before looking around. "I guess it's true what they say - sometimes you just gotta take a leap of faith."

"'THEY' WEREN'T. BEING. LITERAL." growled Jack as he sat up off the ground.

Next to him, Jermaine laid there in the flowers for a moment longer, eyes wide open as they stared at the sky. " _Ohhh, this girl is gonna kill me,"_ he murmured in a high-pitched voice.

"Uh, you okay, Chief?" said Timber, looking down at him in concern.

"Not even close, Kid." he answered, rolling over on his stomach and shaking his head. "Not even close."

"SPICER!"

A voice rang through the air, and the three teenagers looked up to see Pandabubba and his two men standing on the ledge they had just leapt from. As soon as they made eye-contact with them, the three villains snapped into action and began to make their way down the mushroom stairs.

"You know what?!" Jermaine jumped up to his feet. "I think I'm feeling better now!"

"Are you serious?!" yelled Jack, pulling at the roots of his hair. "Are they still following us?!" He screamed into the night air, kicking at the flowers beneath his feet. "What's it gonna take for them to leave us alone?!"

"You wanna stay here and ask?!" said Timber, taking off and waving for the others to follow. "We gotta move, let's go!"

"Come on, man!" shouted Jermaine, reaching back to grab Jack by the collar. As Pandabubba and his men jumped closer and closer to the ground, the three teenagers sped off into the maze of alleyways within the shining skyscrapers of Hong Kong.

They ran past neon signs and clusters of lanterns, under awnings and through pipes that spiderwebbed all along the walls and through their path. The three teenagers desperately tried to leave the maze of alleyways time and time again, hoping to get lost in the crowds of people on the mains streets. But every time they came close to leaving the alleys, Pandabubba or one of his goons would cut them off, forcing them back the way they came. No one could say exactly how long they ran, but eventually, when they found themselves at a dead end, the three ran up a fire escape to the highest level and pressed themselves to a wall, hiding in the shadows, holding their breath and praying that their pursuers wouldn't see them.

And they didn't.

By some divine miracle, Pandabubba and his men sped past their dead end. The three waited a solid minute to make sure they were gone before they all collectively slid down the wall, gasping for breath. "How do they keep finding us?!" panted Timber.

"This...is Pandabubba's...turf!" wheezed Jack. "They probably know...every inch of these streets!"

"Then what are we supposed to do now?" Jermaine punched the brick wall behind him. "We gotta get out of here!"

"They're not going to stop looking for us," pondered Jack, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Pandabubba's got no vision or fashion sense, but he's persistent. He won't give up chasing us for a LONG time."

"So, do we just wait it out up here then?" asked Timber.

"No." Jack shook his head. "Zhao and Zhen will comb through the area as thoroughly as they can. No stone will be left unturned. With them on the prowl, we'll run into them eventually whether we like it or not."

"Okay, so then what's the plan?"

Jack let out a long deep breath before answering. "...We split up."

The other two teens turned to him in surprise. "What?" they asked in unison.

Jack brought his knees closer to his chest, glaring down at the streets below in thought. "If we split them up between us, we can take each of them out on our own. You know," he shrugged, "Just your classic case of 'Divide and Conquer.'"

"That...doesn't sound like a bad plan, actually," admitted Timber thoughtfully, nodding as a grin slowly crept across her face. "Yeah...Yeah!" She laughed. "I can't believe I'm saying this, Red, but what the heck? Let's give'er!"

"What?! No!" cried Jermaine, whirling around to her with a distraught expression. "I can't just abandon you like that, Kid!"

"You're not 'abandoning' her, Jermaine!" sighed Jack, rolling his eyes. "We're just going to go our separate ways for a little while, and once the coast is clear, we'll meet up at a rendezvous point."

Jermaine bit his lip and looked down at his lap nervously. "I-I don't know," he stuttered. "Look, it's not a bad idea, Spicer, but...I've got a bad feeling-"

"Listen, Jermaine, I get how you feel, okay?" interrupted Jack as he threw an arm over his shoulder. "I still remember your little sermon in the elevator, and I can see why that's important to you. But the fact is, we don't have a lot of options right now! And why are you worried anyways?!" He pointed to Timber, who stared back in surprise. "She's the only one of us with superpowers! And she KNOWS how to use them. This'll be a cakewalk for her!"

"Did you just compliment me, Red?" Timber asked, tilting her head.

Jack gagged and immediately took his arm off of Jermaine's shoulder to cover his mouth. "Oh, jeez, I think I did. Gross!"

Shaking her head, Timber glanced back at Jermaine, whose face was still clouded with doubt. He looked up in surprise when she reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. "I'll be okay, Chief," she soothed, giving him a smile. "I can handle myself just fine. You focus on losing whoever's chasing you, and we'll find each other when the coast is clear."

Looking up at her with a noticeable blush, Jermaine opened and closed his mouth, glancing at the remaining golems on her shoulders.

"So, how about it?" pressed Jack. "Are you in or not?"

Jermaine was silent for only a moment longer before he finally gave up. "...Okay," he sighed, sitting back and getting up on his feet. "I'm in. But you better be careful! You hear me, Kid? Stay out of trouble, and if you find yourself in hot water, get somewhere safe and hide!"

Timber nodded. "I'll be fine, Chief. Trust me."

As Jermaine helped her to her feet, Jack picked himself up and looked around at the cityscape of Hong Kong. Out of all the buildings around them, there was one skyscraper that glittered and shone brighter than the others. "See that?" he asked, pointing towards it. "We'll meet up there once the coast is clear. You two ready?"

"Ready," muttered Jermaine, cracking his knuckles.

"Ready as I'll ever be, Red," answered Timber, stretching her arms above her head.

"Alright, Team Spicer! Listen up!" A wicked smile spread across Jack's features. "Here's how this is gonna go down..."

\----------------------------

In the darkest, most claustrophobic nooks of Hong Kong, Pandabubba and his goons came to a steady stop.

They were in the middle of a three-way intersection, keeping their eyes and ears peeled for any sign of the teenagers they were searching for. But there didn't appear to be anyone else there with them. The trail had gone cold. "Clever little rats," grumbled Pandabubba as his eyes roved around the dank alleyways. "But not clever enough. This is my city, and I will not tolerate vermin like them to run free. We WILL find them. Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, makes a fool out of-"

"Ay yo, what's up?!"

Without warning, something hit Pandabubba in the back of the head. As he yelped in surprise, Zhao whirled around, seething with rage as he searched for the culprit. "Who-?!" he began, but he went silent when his eyes landed on Jermaine.

The boy was looking down at the three gangsters from on top of an awning, cocking his head and flashing them a shameless grin. When he was sure he had Zhao's attention and ire, he leapt off with the grace of an acrobat and dashed down the street to their left. "You wanna throw down?" he called back over his shoulder. "Come on, man! Let's go!"

"Get back here!" screamed Zhao, and before his companions could say anything, he took off chasing after the New Yorker.

"No! Stop! What are you doing, fool?!" Pandabubba's eyes widened as he watched him leave. "You can't just-!"

"Hey, Zhen!"

Jumping in surprise, Zhen turned just in time to get hit square in the face with a rotten fruit. The man whipped off his sunglasses, gagging in disgust at the brown sludge splattered all over his pristine white suit before glaring at the perpetrator. Down the street to his right, Jack flipped him the bird with both of his hands and grinned. "Hah! Once a loser, always a loser!" he cackled, bolting off and blowing him a raspberry over his shoulder.

Snarling in anger, Zhen threw his sunglasses down and crushed them under his feet before taking off after the redhead. "You're DEAD, Spicer!" he screamed as he disappeared down the alleyway.

"Zhen?! Zhao?! Stop! Don't listen to them, you idiots!" screeched Pandabubba as he watched them speed off in two different directions. "Don't you see what's going on?! They're trying to split us up! This is exactly what they-! What...they..."

Pandabubba trailed off as something began to rain down from the sky. He held out his hand, inspecting the small leaves in his palm for a split second before turning around and making eye contact with the last teenager left.

Hanging from her vines like a spider in her web, Timber looked down at him, swaying softly in the breeze. "Looking for me?" she asked innocently.

Pandabubba bared his teeth savagely, his eyes glowing like two hot coals. _"You,"_ he hissed.

Smirking at his reaction, Timber swung off of the balcony she was hanging from and sped away. But as she jumped down onto the ground, one of the flower golems on her shoulder silently shriveled up, its petals trailing behind her as she ran off into the night.

\-------------------

As Jermaine ran, the world around him ceased to feel real. Everything was an alternating blur of deep shadows and incandescent light. The cityscape seemed to lose its form as he sped past it all, ignoring all of his surroundings and focusing on the burning of his muscles and the pounding of his heart. He could hear Zhao's footsteps right behind him, could feel the man's fingers reaching for his shirt. The danger of the situation he was in was so real, he could taste it in his mouth.

None of it scared him. Danger wasn't a formless, faceless boogeyman in the night. It was an old friend he faced, night after night, every single time he entered the ring. He had confronted it a hundred times over, and conquered it a hundred times over as well. That thought ignited a fire inside him that burned bright, heightening his senses and flowing through his veins like lightning. Though the adrenaline pumping through his body was similar, his situation was still different from anything he'd experienced before. The city was unfamiliar, the stakes were higher, and there was no telling what the consequences would be if he lost. But as he ran, every single part of Jermaine banished all doubt and fear from his mind as he geared up to fight. 

So when he turned a corner and saw a huge brick wall blocking his path, he didn't even react. He just came to a slow stop and turned around.

Behind him, Zhao grinned viciously, savoring his perceived victory as he cornered Jermaine in the alley. "Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide," he laughed, shrugging off his coat and letting it fall to the floor. As he walked towards Jermaine, he rolled up his sleeves, his tattooed forearms coming into view for the first time. Jermaine glanced at Zhao's well-toned muscles, his confident body language, and his dangerously calm smile before it finally hit him.

Zhao was a martial artist too.

Zhao laughed when he saw the lightbulb go off in Jermaine's head, tying his long hair back into a ponytail. "So tell me, 'Apprentice'," he mocked, easing into a fighting stance. "Do you _really_ live up to the hype?"

Letting out a long, slow breath, Jermaine let his inner peace wash over him completely as he entered a stance of his own. "Come and find out," he answered defiantly.

His lack of fear seemed to set something off in Zhao. He stood there, shocked by his answer for five solid seconds before immediately rushing at him, screaming in fury.

And the battle began.

For a while, all was adrenaline and motion as the two fought in the early hours before dawn. Zhao was good - Zhao was VERY good - but so was Jermaine, and though there wasn't a single second in the battle when one of them wasn't swiping, kicking, or attacking the other, everything within him was eerily calm. Running on instinct, he allowed himself, no, trusted himself, to react to everything. And react he did. Zhao grit his teeth in frustration as he ran himself ragged trying to land a solid, devastating hit on Jermaine. But try as he might, nothing he did worked, and the split second he began to slow down from exhaustion, Jermaine began to attack faster, harder, more fluidly and gracefully as the man began to lose the battle. Zhao's eyes widened in fear and surprise and Jermaine fought with a strength, precision and speed that should NOT have been seen in anyone his age.

For the first time in a long time, Zhao began to regret picking a fight.

It wasn't long before Zhao made a slight miscalculation. In his growing frustration, he leapt forward to strike Jermaine in the head, and the boy took the opportunity to flip him and throw him into the nearest wall. Zhao cried out as he flew into the brick, groaning in pain as he slid down into a pile of garbage. As he lifted himself up, aching all over his body, his blurry vision focused in on a pair of sneakers walking towards him. Jermaine crouched down, looking him right in the eye. "So?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Do I live up to the hype or not?"

Zhao fell back on the ground, too tired to get up.

"Yeah," said Jermaine as he stood up and turned around. "That's what I thought." He threw up two fingers in the air before leaving the alley. "Peace."

For a while, Jermaine jogged through the dense buildings, keeping his eyes peeled for a familiar head of blonde hair, or a glimpse of greenery that didn't belong. But there was nothing, no sign of anyone beyond workers on their smoke breaks and the occasional feral cat. Dread began to pool in his stomach as he left the maze of alleyways and walked into a main street. "Come on, Kid," he muttered to himself as he stopped in front of a small convenience store. "Where are you?" He looked around, but there was no sign of any familiar face. Grunting in frustration, he kicked a can on the sidewalk. " _Man!_ I knew listening to Spicer was a bad-"

"OOF!"

Jermaine stumbled forward when he felt someone crashing into him. Crawling off of the ground, Jermaine turned and met a very familiar face staring back at him from the pavement. "Jack?!" he asked, sitting up and eyeing the disheveled redhead. "Yo, Jack, are you o-?"

"You can run, Spicer, but you can't hide!"

Jack and Jermaine both turned to see Zhen in the distance, running towards them with a scowl on his face. Before Jermaine could say anything else, Jack grabbed his wrist and dragged him into the convenience store, which was empty save for a lone clerk behind the front counter. The clerk shouted at them in rapid fire Cantonese for scaring him, but Jack ignored him as he dragged Jermaine to the back room at the other end of the store, grabbing a few key items off of the shelves on his way there.

"Jack, what are you-?!" cried Jermaine, but Jack just clapped a hand over his mouth and shut the door behind them.

A few seconds later, Zhen burst through the convenience store doors, glaring at the clerk and brandishing a taser from under his coat. Looking back and forth between the gangster and his weapon, the clerk slowly walked out from behind the counter and exited the store without a word. Turning back to the matter at hand, Zhen began to march down the shelves, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of movement. "I know you're here, Spicer!" he shouted. "You and that friend of yours! Come on out! Don't make this any harder than it has to be!"

Hiding in the back room behind shelves full of cleaning products, Jack shivered, covering his mouth to muffle his chattering teeth. Beside him, Jermaine crouched down and watched the scene unfold through the keyhole of the door.

Jermaine held his breath as Zhen surveyed the store. His stomach sank as he watched the man's eyes light up when he caught sight of a telltale trail of items Jack had dropped on the floor. The trail led his eyes to the door of the back room, and for a second, Jermaine could have sworn the two of them made eye contact. Zhen chuckled heartily as Jermaine began to back away from the door. "You know what?" he called out as he readied the taser in his hand. "Why are we even doing this, kids? You know I'm going to find you." He grinned, walking down aisle after aisle slowly with the confidence of an apex predator. "You know I'm going to win."

Biting his lip to stay quiet, Jermaine stepped over to Jack as quietly as he could to warn him of what was about to happen. But he froze and watched in bewilderment as Jack slipped on the dust mask, swimming goggles and toilet cleaning gloves he had grabbed from the aisles earlier. Choosing a few different bottles of household chemicals off of the shelves next to him, Jack crouched down and worked as quickly and quietly as he could, carefully mixing them together into a nearby bucket as he worked out the chemistry in his head. Jermaine threw his hands up. _What are you doing?!_ he mouthed.

Jack didn't answer, instead nodding at the packages of dust masks and swimming goggles on the floor. As Zhen's footsteps got closer and the mixture Jack created began to change color, Jermaine, looking around and seeing no other means of escape, hastily threw them on.

A few seconds later Zhen burst into the room, prompting Jack and Jermaine to yelp in surprise as the man stood in the doorway, insufferably smug as he looked at the two teenage boys. "It's over," he grinned, holding up the tazer threateningly.

"...Yeah. It's over."

Jack turned around, lifting up his goggles and winking at Zhen. "For _you,_ " he finished.

Zhen's smile faded, and Jack lowered his goggles just as the mixture he created started smoking. The room was soon filled with a thick, cloudy gas. Zhen screamed as his eyes began to sting and his throat began to burn. Jack shoved him aside hastily, carrying a few other bottles of household chemicals under his arms as he took off running with Jermaine in hand. Coughing and gasping, Zhen staggered out of the room after them. "When I catch you, I'm gonna KILL you, you little punks!"

"Keep dreaming!" cackled Jack, and he kicked open the convenience store door and pulled Jermaine out into the street.

"What was that?!" cried Jermaine as he ripped off the dust mask.

"A work of pure genius!" answered Jack as he pulled Jermaine down the block. "And my Chemistry teacher actually FAILED me this semester, can you imagine? Ma-aa-aan, I can't believe Zhen actually let me lead him into that trap!" he chortled as they came to a stop behind a food truck. " What a sucker!"

"So...you planned that whole mess?" asked Jermaine, raising a disbelieving eyebrow as he lost the goggles. "You didn't just...I don't know." He made gestures with his hands as he tried to find the words. "Pull it out of your butt?"

"O-of course I didn't!" snapped Jack, turning a telltale pink as he peeled off his gloves. "That whole thing was entirely planned out, down to the second! I had absolutely everything under control!"

"Hmmph. Could have fooled me." Jermaine crossed his arms. "You looked pretty scared back there."

Jack snorted and rolled his eyes. "I wasn't SCARED, Rookie! I'm Jack Spicer, Future World Dictator and Villain Extraordinaire!" Puffing his chest out proudly, Jack leaned up against the food cart and struck a pose. "There's nothing in this whole wide world that can shake me!"

_"SPICER!"_

The two boys jumped and turned to see an absolutely furious Zhen dashing down the street beelining towards Jack. "I'LL KILL YOU!" he shrieked. 

"AAAAAH!" Jack screeched, throwing the remaining bottles of chemicals straight at the gangster. "DON'T HURT ME!"

Face falling in terror, Zhen skidded to a stop, leaning to the side as he did. The bottles sailed past him and landed on the pavement, and the second they hit the ground, the liquids within began to leak out. The three watched the puddle of chemicals begin to bubble and hiss as they mixed into each other. While Zhen stared stupidly at what was happening, Jermaine pulled Jack down the street and behind a line of parked cars just before the chemicals exploded.

A beat or two passed before the boys peeked their heads out from behind the cars. There was now a sizable, smoking crater in the concrete where the street used to be, and the two watched a hand reach out from its depths. Pulling himself up out of the wreckage, Zhen looked around fearfully before stumbling to his feet and running as fast as he could in the opposite direction.

Jack, who was currently hyperventilating in Jermaine's arms, let out a sigh of relief before he looked down and realized where he was. Jermaine smirked knowingly at him, and Jack hastily jumped off of the other boy and coughed awkwardly, looking away. "I wasn't scared," he lied.

Jermaine snorted. "Suuuuuure, you weren't." Reaching out and grabbing Jack's hand, he began to lead him away. "Let's, uh, let's get out of here before you wreck any more of the city, okay?"

Jack grumbled, clearly embarrassed, but did not pull away or put up any fight as Jermaine led him down the street. "Whatever," he muttered. "So, Zhen's gone. Where's Zhao?"

"Whooped his butt," Jermaine answered casually.

"Seriously?!" cried Jack, his face brightening.

"Yep." Jermaine winked, glowing a little at the other's blatant admiration. "Wasn't that hard, but he's down for the count."

"Hah!" Jack nodded approvingly and lightly punched Jermaine in the shoulder. "Nice work, Wonder Boy!" He looked around, running a hand through his hair. "So that just leaves Canada and Pandabubba then."

"Yeah," answered Jermaine, his expression growing serious. "And we gotta find her, fast. If she's in trouble-"

"Would you give it a rest, already?" groaned Jack, slapping his forehead. "Your girlfriend's probably FINE, okay? Were you even paying attention at all back there at the Jade Forest? She's a one-woman army!" His face fell. "Wait, don't tell her I said that."

"S-she ain't my girlfriend!" snapped Jermaine, his face turning red. "And I know she can take care of herself, but..." He shivered as a chill went down his spine. "Yo, I can't shake this feeling that...that something's up."

"Ugh! You worry too much, Rookie," whined Jack as they walked down another alley. As they did, Jack's eyes caught sight of something on the wall, and he elbowed Jermaine with a smile. "See? She's been here!"

Jermaine looked up. All across the alleyway wall was a mishmash of plants and flowering vines that most certainly could not survive in the city under normal circumstances. The boys looked up at the web of flora that covered the alleyway, following as it trailed off into the distance. "There, you feel better now?" asked Jack as he ruffled Jermaine's hair good-naturedly. "All we have to do is follow these and we'll find her! She's just....she's....she's just...."

Jack fell silent as one of the flowers on the vine began to turn brown and shrivel up. Jermaine stepped forward, his stomach beginning to sink as slowly, but surely, the rest of the plants all around them began to decay before their eyes, the leaves yellowing and falling to the ground like a silent rain.

"What..." Jack blinked at the dying plants all around them. "What's...what's going on?"

"....I don't know," answered Jermaine, grabbing him by the hand as he began to panic. "But we gotta find Timber! _Now!"_

"H-Hey!" stuttered Jack as he stumbled over his feet trying to match Jermaine's speed. "Hey, she's gonna be okay, Jermaine!"

The other boy didn't answer, too busy following the trail of plants through the alleyways. Jack watched as everything began to decay faster and faster all around him, the beautiful spray of green turning a deep, ominous black. "S-she's fine," he repeated uselessly.

But even he didn't believe himself.

\--------------------

"What's the matter, little witch? Afraid of showing your face?"

From her hiding spot underneath a car, Timber covered her mouth with her hands and shivered as she watched Pandabubba's feet come into view. There was no one else around in the parking lot except for the two of them, and no sound except for the steel pipe Pandabubba held in his hands, scraping along the ground sinisterly as he glanced around for her. Terrified beyond belief, she desperately wanted to run, but dared not move from her spot. She held her breath as she watched him walk closer, helpless and cornered. "Well?" called Pandabubba, looking around impatiently. "Come on out, little witch! I'm waiting!"

Timber held very, very still, watching, waiting, and praying that he'd give up and look for her elsewhere.

And for a moment, he almost did.

Relief crept into her chest as she watched him turn around with an annoyed growl and start to make his way out of the parking lot and towards the city. But her hopes were dashed when he suddenly froze and looked down. Puzzled, Timber followed his gaze and felt her stomach drop when she noticed that a lone flower golem was crawling on the ground. The pathetic little soldier clung to Pandabubba's foot, feebly slapping at his shoe with its leafy 'hands' in defense of its mistress.

She didn't have to look at his face to know that he was smiling. She could hear it in his voice.

"Oh," Pandabubba purred as he inspected the little plant creature on his foot. "I get it now. You're here after all. And you're running out of steam." Chuckling in dark satisfaction, he lifted his foot and squashed the poor little flower before turning around and walking back towards her.

Timber forced herself not to scream as he struck out at the cars, smashing in their windows and doors with a strength she had never anticipated. "Not so tough now, are you?" he spat as he carried on, punctuating each sentence with broken glass and crushed steel. "No vines! No flowers! No friends! It's just you and me, Timber Wilde!"

Finally, he broke the windows of the car she was hiding under, and out of instinct, she screamed in fear. Realizing what she had done, she clapped a hand over her mouth, but it was too late. Crouching down and peering beneath the car, Pandabubba grinned from ear to ear like a Cheshire cat when their eyes met. "Found you."

Panicking, Timber crawled out from under the ruined car and tried to run, but he snatched her by her hair and pulled her back roughly. "No!" she screamed, tearing up from the pain as she struggled to escape, but it was futile. She had been running all night, expanding every last bit of her energy and element, and now when she needed it most, her strength and power were gone.

Amused at her desperation and fear, Pandabubba dangled her by her hair and watched as she tried to swipe at him like a feral cat. "What are you going to do? Huh?" He grinned. "How are you going to fight me without your magic, little witch?"

"I don't need magic to deal with you!" she lied, trying to deliver a kick to his face. He dodged it, and suddenly, without warning, he dropped her on the ground and came rushing at her. Terrified, she threw a punch, then another, then another, but she missed every time. The more she tried to defend herself, the bigger his smile grew. ""Don't need magic?' Clearly, you do!" he retorted as he slowly began to overtake her in their fight. "No martial arts skills, no talent for hand-to-hand combat! Young lady, it is blatantly clear you've never been in a real fight before! Even that mongrel Jack Spicer has battlefield experience! But you?"

Timber suddenly felt his hands around her throat as he threw her to the ground and pinned her down by her neck. "Without your powers, you are _nothing."_

She clawed at his hands, trying to loosen their hold, and in response he slammed her head against the pavement. Her vision was filled with stars as he began to strike her with the pipe, continuing to rant as his blows and her screams punctuated his sentences. "Coming into my nightclub, destroying my office and attacking my men?! I gave you an out! I showed you mercy! And you threw it all back in my face!" His attack on her intensified in its violence, his eyes sinister under the streetlight. "Ungrateful little whelp! Just who do you think you are?!"

_"I'm a Wu Xing Warrior!"_

Pandabubba froze, lowering the pipe as Timber sobbed and shook on the pavement. _"...What?"_

Through shaky, labored breaths, Timber spoke, her voice just barely audible. "I'm...a W-Wu Xing...Warrior. I'm the only one...t-that's left. My m-master taught me EVERYTHING...about his element, because...because he _trusts_ me. Because...this is my destiny. And I...I can't...I can't run or h-hide from it. Not anymore." Punching the ground in determination, Timber forced herself to look up at him, coughing out blood as she shot him a determined glare. "I am NOT going to die here!" she panted. "Not here! Not...not y-yet! Sun was there when I needed him! Now, he n-needs me! I'm not g-giving up until I find the Axe of the Ancients! A deal's..." She paused to catch her breath and shook her head stubbornly. "A deal's a deal! I am NOT letting my best friend rot in a Crown because of YOU!"

Pandabubba blinked down at her, at a complete loss for words. Timber stared up at him, shaking in pain until finally, the man raised an eyebrow and spoke. "Spicer was right. You DO have a few screws loose."

Out of nowhere, he struck a decisive blow to her stomach, and all of the air left her lungs. She couldn't even scream. Curling up in a little ball, Timber twitched and shook in agony as Pandabubba stared down at her, his lip curling in disgust. "A pity, really. In the end...you're nothing more than an ordinary girl who got in way over her head. I almost feel sorry for you. Almost." He raised the pipe high, preparing to strike her one last time. "Goodbye, Timber Wilde."

_"STEP OFF!"_

Out of nowhere, hurried footsteps came rushing forth, and the pipe Pandabubba was holding clattered to the concrete as he screamed. Through a muddled, foggy brain, Timber looked up, trying to focus her vision on what was happening. In the distance, Pandabubba groaned in pain from the kick that had sent him flying across the parking lot. "What's-?" 

"Kid!"

Timber looked up, suddenly realizing that someone was standing over her. She squinted, recognizing the fuzzy figure looking down at her in worry. "...C-Chief?"

It was Jermaine. He knelt down beside her, eyeing her injuries in horror. "Oh my God," he murmured, his voice cracking. "Can you walk?!"

Timber tried to lift herself up off the ground slowly, but every wobbly, unsure motion she made was torture. She got as far as she could, but suddenly she felt her arms and legs give way and almost fell back to the pavement. Jermaine caught her in time, holding her close and letting her lean up against him. "Jack, w-we gotta get her out of here!" he cried.

Another set of footsteps walked up to them from Timber's other side, and suddenly a familiar head of bright red hair appeared in her vision. Breath short and panicked, Jack lifted Timber up from her other side, guiding her onto his back with Jermaine's help. "Come on, Canada!" he grunted, lifting her up in a fireman's carry and trying to keep the fear out of his voice. "Don't you dare give up on me now!"

"W-what are you doing?" Timber murmured, still trying to process what was happening.

"Saving you, you dummy!" Jack grit his teeth, sweat already beading on his brow. "Y-you're really heavy, you know that?!"

"I KNEW this was a bad idea!" said Jermaine, clenching his fists. "I knew it, and I went along with it anyways!"

"Save your guilt complex for later, we don't have time right now!"

"L-listen! You're gonna be okay, Kid!" said Jermaine, coming back into Timber's view. "We're gonna get you to a hospital! I'm not gonna let anything else happen to you tonight!"

Timber nodded, but her gaze shifted as something in the distance caught her eye. "Look....look out!" she gasped.

Jermaine turned just in time to dodge a punch from Pandabubba. Wiping blood from the corner of his mouth, the furious mob boss slipped on some brass knuckles he had in his coat before lunging at the boy again. "I've had just about enough of you, boy!” he screamed.

Jack yelped and backed away from Pandabubba, trembling in fear. Jermaine eyes blazed with fury as he blocked his blows. _"Stay away from her!"_ he shouted.

"Jermaine!" cried Timber, but Jack was already beginning to move away from the fight, carrying her as fast as he could. She kicked and pounded weakly on his back, trying to wiggle off of him. "We have to go back!" she panted. "I have to help-!"

"No way!" snapped Jack, batting her hands away. "You aren't going anywhere near that fight!"

Underneath the light of the streetlamps, Pandabubba and Jermaine fought on, their fighting styles contrasting sharply in the heat of their battle. Jermaine was fluid, fierce, and fast, managing to avoid Pandabubba's strikes with ease while also delivering some key blows. But what he lacked in speed, Pandabubba more than made up for in strength and stamina. Every strike he managed to land was devastating, overwhelming, and Jermaine found himself on the defense more than he had been in a long time. Likewise, Pandabubba fumed as every single of his attacks was evenly matched by the boy. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s underlings that don't know their place!" he spat, avoiding one of Jermaine's kicks. "I don't understand! You're supposed to be Chase Young's apprentice! You were trained by the greatest Heylin warrior on the face of the earth, and yet you squander your talent to defend and protect others?! To protect HER?! _You lower yourself!"_

"I already told you a thousand times!" Jermaine shouted back, dodging a punch. "I'm not Heylin! The only reason I agreed to train with Chase was because I wanted to be just like Omi! The whole reason I took up martial arts was to help people!" He grit his teeth as he somersaulted off of the man's arm and landed a kick to his face, his eyes blazing bright. "You hear me?! I'm Jermaine Thompson Forrester, and I'm a Xiaolin warrior until the day I-!"

But before he could finish his sentence, one of Pandabubba's punches landed. Hard.

Jermaine's breath left his body as the man's fist came in contact with his abdomen, sending all of the air out of his lungs and breaking a few ribs in the process. Across the parking lot, Timber screamed, and Jack turned around to see what was happening. The two watched as Pandabubba relished the pain in Jermaine's eyes, bringing his face close. _"You disgust me,"_ he hissed, and with that, he grabbed Jermaine's shoulders and kneed him in the stomach. A loud crack echoed throughout the parking lot, and the mobster threw Jermaine aside unceremoniously where he landed in a heap on the pavement. He did not move. He made no noise. In fact, he made no sound at all.

"JERMAINE!" Summoning what little force she had left, Timber pushed herself off of Jack and stumbled over to him, tripping over her unsteady feet and landing hard on the pavement five feet away. Forcing herself up on her elbows, she watched his chest flutter up and down unevenly. He was breathing, and that thought kept her going as she crawled over to him and reached into her pockets for some seeds. She threw them onto the ground and put her hands over them, desperately trying to grow a healing plant, even if it was just a sprout, even if it was just a single leaf.

But nothing came.

In the back of her mind, she was aware of Jack walking up to her from behind, but she barely noticed as she gave into despair. "...I'm....I'm sorry," she sobbed, her tears falling on the pavement as she squeezed her eyes shut. "I'm so, so sorry!"

As she cried over her fallen friend, Jack stood frozen, staring at Jermaine with a vulnerable, crestfallen expression on his face. Pandabubba inspected the blood on his fingers with chilling ambivalence. "What a complete waste of potential," he sneered. "He deserves his fate." Bending down to pick up the steel pipe he dropped earlier, he narrowed his eyes and began to walk towards the others. "And you most certainly deserve yours."

Timber brought Jermaine up in her arms, shielding him protectively with her own body. Pandabubba leered at her, took a step forward....and promptly froze.

Timber watched as he looked down at his hand, the hand that held the steel pipe he had used on her earlier. Her vision was so blurry from her crying, she didn't notice why until she blinked away a few tears. Her eyes widened as she saw the pipe shaking and vibrating, first slowly, then more and more violently. Then, out of nowhere, it flew out of the man's grasp, and Timber followed it as it zoomed past her and straight into Jack's open hand.

As he slowly raised his eyes to look up at Pandabubba, Timber felt her stomach drop at the fierce, terrible rage on his face.

Suddenly, the streetlights all around them began to flicker on and off, first slowly and steadily like a heartbeat, then faster and faster. Still holding Jermaine protectively, Timber looked around at the lights in confusion, but stopped when she caught sight of something sliding on the ground. A small coin was moving on its own right before her eyes, scraping across the concrete almost silently. A small noise to her right got her attention, and she turned to see another stray coin doing the same thing. All around her, bottle caps, bobby pins and chunks of metal torn off from the cars were moving towards Jack, and both she and Pandabubba gawked with open mouths as they began to circle around him as if they were the winds of a hurricane and he was the eye of the storm.

Pandabubba stood back in shock, eyes bulging at the sight before him. "What is this?!" he croaked. "What are you-?!" Sweating bullets, he began to back away slowly. The bits of metal junk began to hover in the air, and the cars in the parking lot began to creak and groan around them. Before anyone knew what was happening, they began to dismantle themselves, every last scrap of metal flying up to join the rest of the bizarre tornado of junk spinning around the redhead. " _S-Spicer?!_ "

In the center of flying metal, Jack Spicer began to float in the air. The outlines of his body began to glimmer with a silvery light, illuminating him in the early hours before dawn. Hovering fifteen feet above ground, Jack glared down at Pandabubba. As the scraps of iron and steel whirled around him faster and faster, and his eyes glowed silver, he said only one word, the very first word that came to his mind:

**"Metal."**

The loud, terrible groan of twisting iron and steel broke the tense atmosphere, and Pandabubba's heart stopped when all of the junk surrounding Jack began to mold itself into a monstrous shape. Timber watched as all of the junk in the air formed an enormous Chinese dragon, glittering under the flickering streetlights as it wound its way around Jack like a familiar. It opened its mouth and roared into the night before flying straight at Pandabubba, baring its metal teeth viciously. 

Panicking and crying out in surprise, Pandabubba ducked just in time to avoid being beheaded by the metallic monster, but the dragon just circled around and came for him again, and again, and again. Jack, still hovering in the air and running on pure instinct, lifted his hands and guided it with a steady confidence Timber had never seen in him before. The mobster, so smug and sure of himself only moments ago, was left scrambling for his life like a mouse running from a hungry cat. Without warning, the great metal dragon split apart into several smaller dragons, which flew at Pandabubba, slicing and cutting him and reducing his fine suit to shreds. As he screamed and tried to swat them away, they changed into birds, then dogs, then humanoid shapes, attacking him even more fiercely each time they shifted into another form.

Still holding Jermaine on her lap, Timber watched as Jack dropped out of the air and landed on the pavement, walking slowly and purposefully towards Pandabubba in tranquil fury. The environment around them soon echoed his rage as every streetlight and sign he walked past bent and twisted into itself. Every time Pandabubba tried to make a break for it and run, Jack blocked his path with another metal monstrosity. Every time he tried to attack Jack, Jack simply sent a manhole cover flying towards him. There was no fighting, no running, no escape and no mercy. Pandabubba, now lying on the concrete, cowered and trembled as he backed away from the redhead. "How?!" he demanded, his voice going up an octave. "How are you doing this?! Y-y-you're-!" He shook his head, still scrambling away from the teenager. "You're _Jack Spicer!_ You're just a w-weak, useless-!"

"How's THIS for weak?!"

Without warning, the metal around Pandabubba formed a gigantic hand. It snatched the man up in its fingers and tossed him high into the air. Pandabubba screamed as he hurtled towards the ground again, and the hand split and shifted into an octopus, which tossed him up again in its tentacles, over and over. "Call me useless again!" Jack shouted. "Come on! Do it! _I dare you!"_

Suddenly, the tentacles dropped Pandabubba, and he hit the pavement hard. But before he could pull himself up, the metal around him materialized into chains that wound themselves around his body. He struggled to break free, but they only seemed to squeeze him tighter as Jack finally stood before him, absolutely livid and dangerously still. Pandabubba shivered at his glowing eyes, beads of sweat trickling down his forehead. "Y-you're honestly getting this riled up...f-for what?!" He glanced over at where Timber was cradling Jermaine. "For _him?!_ T-t-that underwhelming, embarrassing excuse for-!"

"I was just starting to **like** him," growled Jack. 

Those words, so calm and so quiet, cowed the man into silence. Exhaling through his nose, nostrils flaring in anger, Jack Spicer yanked Pandabubba up by his collar with surprising strength and pulled him closer. "You know what?! I don't need to justify myself to you! I'm _Jack Freaking Spicer,_ and I do what I want, when I want, how I want! And I NEVER want to see you or your goons bothering us ever again! Understand?!"

"W-what are you gonna do if I say 'no?'" Pandabubba challenged, struggling to hold onto the last bit of his bravado. "Kill me? We b-both know you don't have the guts!"

Jack faltered, doubt and worry creeping into his features. But it only lasted for a second before his resolve came back. "...Kill you? Pfft. Nah." He shook his head and dropped Pandabubba to the ground. "I've got something worse in mind."

Jack turned around and met Timber's eyes for the first time since Jermaine had fallen. She watched as he held out his hand to her. "Give them here," he said quietly.

It took her a moment to understand, but once she did, she nodded, and reached into her clothes for the Shen Gong Wu she had stolen from him earlier. Pandabubba eyes bulged in fear as he watched her toss the Golden Tiger Claws to Jack. Taking in a deep breath as he put them on, Jack lifted the Wu high in the air and cried out its name. **"Golden Tiger Claws!"**

He slashed at the empty space next to him, and a rip echoed through the air as a portal opened. It was a strange thing, oblong and iridescent like a bubble stretched out into the air. But even with its odd appearance, it was still a portal, and the buildings and streets on the other side shimmered into focus. Pandabubba's stomach plummeted and the color drained from his face as he began to recognize some of them. "T-that's-!"

"Tokyo, Japan, baby." Jack turned to him and grinned viciously. "Say hi to the National Police Agency for me."

"NO!" Pandabubba began to squirm and beg as the chains around him lifted him up into the air. "NO, WAIT! SPICER! PLEASE!"

But Jack just smiled as he threw Pandabubba through the portal. The man screamed in terror as he sailed through the iridescent light, and the moment he was through, the portal shrank and disappeared into thin air. "Sayonara, jerk," said Jack softly.

There was a long, long stretch of silence, broken only by the noises of the city and the distant wail of the ships in Victoria Harbor. Timber watched as the street lamps stopped flickering and the floating bits of metal slowly fell back to earth. The redhead was still turned away from her, breathing hard as he stopped glowing. She waited for him to say something, but he never did. "J....Jack?" she asked finally.

Jack didn't answer. Instead, he fell to his knees and landed sideways on the ground, out cold.

"Jack?!" Timber cried as she laid Jermaine down and tried to stand up. She couldn't, and despite her effort, all she managed to do was fall flat on her face again with a cry. Timber began to hyperventilate as she looked between the two boys around her. "No! No, please!" she whimpered, the tears beginning to come back again. "Please! You have to get up! I can't lose anyone else! I can't-! Someone, please help!" Too weak to stand, she curled up on the ground and ripped off her hat. "SUN, PLEASE, _I NEED YOUR HELP!"_

The Crown of the Monkey King glowed brightly around her head, and a wave of light exploded forth, washing over everything. Time seemed to come to a grinding halt as the color from the world drained away, leaving busy, glimmering Hong Kong a silent, black-and-white snapshot of itself. Peach blossom petals began to rain silently down from the sky as Timber's shadow stretched out behind her, rising out of the pavement into a tall, faceless figure. As she cried and buried her face in her hands, the shadowy figure slowly walked past her, transfixed on Jack's motionless body. Two fiery-red eyes glimmered with tears that did not fall as the figure fell to its knees, seized by emotion. "金..." it whispered.

The sound of a familiar voice caught Timber's attention, and she whirled around. "...Sun?"

The figure didn't answer, and didn't even acknowledge her. Instead, he reached out to stroke Jack's hair, so gently it was as if he was afraid the boy would crumble away under his fingertips. "You came back to me," he murmured, a small, surprised laugh creeping out of his throat. "You...! You came back!"

**"Sun!"**

Broken out of his thoughts, the shadowy figure slowly turned around at the sound of his name, his eyes falling on Timber. He looked her up and down, eyeing Jermaine's body as he came back to the reality of the situation. His eyes narrowed, and he let out a deep, weary sigh. "What part of 'keep a low profile' did you not understand?"

Timber burned with shame and hung her head, a tear sliding down her cheek. Sun sighed again and reached out to wipe it away before he stood up, looming over her as he grew bigger, taller, until his height rivaled some of the skyscrapers of Hong Kong. "Come on," he said, scooping her up into his hand and stroking her head softly. "Let's clean up the mess you made."

\----------------------------------

Deep within the endless mists of the Yin Yang World, Chase Young felt something.

It was so sudden, he was sent stumbling into the ground when it hit him like an ocean wave. But at the same time, it was so distant, so formless, that he could not conjure a name for what it was. He only knew that it resonated deeply through every particle of his being, through every inch of his body, mind, and soul. It hummed through his bones as he lifted himself off of the glass-like ground he walked on, breathing heavily at his own reflection.

As he stared at himself, he recognized a glimmer of fear in his eyes.

He did not like it.

Forcing himself to steady his breath, he picked himself up and looked around, trying to understand what he felt and where it came from. But everything around him was the same as before. Chinese characters floated in the dark skies like clouds, and though the fog was thick and the space around him was hopelessly, terribly infinite in its possibilities, he could see no one else in the dim red light of the Yin Yang World. He was, without a doubt, utterly alone.

"What is this?" he whispered to himself, still trying to comprehend, but it was at that moment that he finally noticed something sliding down his cheek. Puzzled, he reached up and touched it to see what it was, his eyebrows flying up when he felt something wet.

Blood? He rubbed his fingers experimentally as he pondered. But he had suffered no injury, surely that wasn't the answer.....

And then it clicked.

"Wha- _What?!_ " With an uncharacteristic cry, Chase pulled his hand back from his face as if he had touched a hot iron. Nearly scared out of his wits, he realized that the glistening drops on his fingertips were something he hadn't seen in over a thousand years -

His own tears.

For the first time in fifteen hundred years, Chase Young...was _crying._

That thought was like a punch to the gut for him, and he took a step back in his shock. It didn't make any sense. He was Chase Young, the widely-feared Heylin warlord of legend. He did _not_ cry. Crying was a show of emotion, and all emotions were a weakness. He had abandoned every weakness, every flaw, every fear and every last ounce of humanity the moment he drank the Lao Mang Long soup, all those years ago. Tears had absolutely _no_ place in his present reality, only the past he left behind and the memories he carried with him. In fact, the last time he could remember shedding any tears was the day...

And just like that, the mysterious something he felt earlier finally had a name.

"...Jin?"

The tears were falling faster now. Starting to panic as the implications raced around his mind, Chase Young whirled around and called out desperately into the endless void. "Jin! Is that you?!"

There was no answer.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

_"Rai?!"_

From within her lantern, Kimiko watched as Raimundo fell forward onto the table, spilling his tea and dropping his cup in the process. It broke into a dozen pieces when it hit the floor, but it barely registered to Kimiko. Flickering wildly at what was happening before her, her mind raced as she tried to think of how she could help. With no arms, no legs and a 'body' that could only destroy everything it touched, she had never felt so useless in her life. _"Rai!"_ she cried as he shuddered violently. _"What's wro-?!"_

And then something came over her, and she understood.

It hit her like a sudden wind, causing her light to dance wildly on the walls around them. Overwhelmed with an emotion she could not describe, Kimiko felt herself change as the flames that comprised her being shifted in color. She watched in terror as the light she gave off went from a steady, warm yellow to a deep, resonating blue. From where he was crouched over on the table, Raimundo looked up at her, his eyes widening in shock...

And then it was over.

Quivering and shaking in the aftermath, Kimiko's flames changed back to their normal color. She whirled around in her lantern, looking for any sign of an intruder, but there was no one else in the room besides Raimundo and herself. If she had a heart, it would be beating out of her chest. If she had a forehead, it would be covered in beads of sweat. What she had experienced just now was so _intense..._

As she pressed herself up to the glass, still peering out for anything suspicious, her eyes fell on Raimundo. There were tears in his eyes, and he let out a shaky breath and began to cry.

Kimiko didn't know why, but she knew, somehow, that had she still been in her own body, she'd be doing the same.

"What was that?" they cried in unison.

 _"...I don't know,"_ confessed Kimiko, an edge of horror in her voice. The revelation that she could not describe what she just went through was the most terrifying thing about the whole experience. 'Not knowing' was something she hated. 'Not knowing' was something her father had taught her to always be wary of, something he always encouraged her to fight against. "The unknown," he had once said, "is nothing to be afraid of, Kimiko. All the mysteries and questions of the world are nothing to fear, so long as you are willing to seek out the answers and understand them."

How did she even begin to understand _this?_

"...'You will be tested'..."

Kimiko looked back to Rai, startled by the sound of his raspy voice. _"Huh?"_

Raimundo blinked in surprise as he realized he had spoken that sentence out loud and he turned back to her, broken out of his thoughts. "I..." he began, but there was a long, pregnant pause before he shook his head and started over." K...Kim."

There was a moment where the two just stared at each other, where Kimiko watched as Rai tried to steady his sobs. Then, he slowly reached out and placed his hand on the top of her lantern, the same way he would put his hand on her shoulder when she was upset. "...I'm glad you're here," he said in a cracking voice.

Her eyes widened, and her heart - or what was left of it - ached at the vulnerable expression on his face. She still didn't understand any of what was going on - but right now, she didn't need to. Lamenting for the thousandth time that she couldn't offer Raimundo a hug in his deepest time of need, she burned brightly inside the lantern, driving away the shadows and the evening chill. As she gave him comfort in the only way she could, she closed her eyes and said a silent prayer for the two Dragons that were no longer with them.

\-------------------------------------------------------

"Omi, what's gotten into you?"

Somewhere in the Andes, Master Fung sat on the ground, at a complete loss for what to do. The youngest Xiaolin Dragon had grown so much over the last few years, and was now a youth in the throes of adolescence, brave and headstrong. But as he watched Omi sob into his lap, he looked so much smaller, so much younger. Master Fung held him close, suddenly reminded of the times Omi would come to him in the middle of the night as a child, frightened to tears by Spring thunderstorms. "Omi," he murmured, his heart beginning to ache. "What is the matter?"

"I do not know, Master Fung," sniffled Omi, his voice muffled in Master Fung's robes. "But I've never...I've never felt..." He shook his head slowly, his voice tight with emotion. "I do not know how to _explain_ it."

"...Finally."

Master Fung and Omi looked up, startled by the sound of Clay's voice. He hadn't spoken much, if at all, since they left the Xiaolin Temple, and Fung could sense an unease in his oldest pupil's heart that they would have to discuss soon. But as Clay stood before him, watching his tears fall into his own hands, there was something in his eyes that did not seem to register as sorrow. "It feels like.... _finally._ " said Clay, coughing out a laugh as he brushed off more tears. "It feels like 'forever' just ended and started at the same time. Like you found something again...that you never even realized was missing in the first place. And..." Clay paused to take off his hat and run a hand through his hair. "And it's not gonna go away anytime soon."

"That..." Omi sat up and stubbornly wiped away his tears with his sleeve before smiling at his friend. "That is certainly a good way to put it, yes."

Master Fung opened his mouth to offer them wisdom, or comfort, but nothing came. Perplexed beyond speech, he looked to Guan, but the other Master wasn't paying attention. He stood with his back to the others with Dojo curled around his shoulders, staring out at the mountain vista. Their eyes shone with emotion as well, and Guan gazed up into the sky, letting out a long sigh of relief and heartbreak as a tear slid down his cheek. "It... _It can't be,_ " he murmured.

"It is," said Dojo confidently. "I don't believe it either but..." He cleared his throat. "But then again, things have been getting real weird around here lately."

As he watched the pair cry together in front of him, Master Fung felt a divide between himself and the others. Whatever was going on with the friends and students that surrounded him, he had nothing to do with it. And that scared him. Even though he _knew,_ even though he was privy to their secrets and had an inkling of what was happening, the mystery of it all, the greater destiny that the others were a part of, and the cold hard fact that he had no place in it...

...It scared him.

Dojo broke the silence by taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly before leaping off of Guan's shoulders and shifting into his larger size. "Come on," he said, looking down at the others. "We gotta keep moving."

Finding something familiar to hold onto again, Master Fung nodded and stood, resting a hand on each of his pupil's shoulders as they made their way to Dojo. As he mounted the ancient Dragon, he stared off into the blood-red sunset and found himself thinking of a certain redheaded troublemaker, and the two wayward souls he had spirited away with him.

\-----------------------------------------------

_Sun! Hey, Sun!_

In the dreamless void between sleep and consciousness, Jack Spicer heard a voice.

_Sun?_

_Sun!_

The voice, cheerful and innocent, seemed to come from everywhere at once. He didn't recognize it, but something about it was very, very familiar. He had the feeling that whoever it belonged to was someone he had known all his life. As he shifted around, Jack groaned and caught the scent of peach blossoms in the air. He didn't know how or why he recognized such a specific smell, but the moment he knew what it was, a wave of nostalgia washed over him.

_Psst! Sun! Come on! Wake up!_

Jack opened his eyes, just a bit, and through his eyelashes, he could see someone crouched over him. They leaned in closer, just enough for him to count the four dots going down their forehead in a perfect line. As they lowered their voice to a whisper, the dots began to glow.

_Do you want to see a magic trick?_

Jack blinked, and the figure was gone.

"...'Magic trick?'"

Groaning as he slid back into the waking world, Jack stared up at a canopy of leaves above his head, eyes moving over the long, graceful branches of a weeping tree. "...Why is my butt wet?" he wondered out loud.

He realized, with a small jolt of surprise, that something was flowing around him, and it didn't take long for him to figure out that he was lying in shallow water. "What the...?" Jack sat up in the water, eyebrows lifting as he saw, for the first time, that he was in the shallows of a pond. As he looked around, still trying to understand, he caught sight of a familiar face, lying only a few feet away. "Jermaine?"

It was Jermaine, lying in a sea of reeds and waterlilies, his eyes closed and his chest moving up and down in even breaths. As he caught sight of the other boy, everything came rushing back. _"Jermaine!"_ Shooting up to his feet, Jack splashed through the water up to the other boy's side. "Jermaine!" he cried, shaking the other boy by the shoulders. "Jermaine, wake up! Come on!"

"Mmmgh....five more minutes..." whined Jermaine softly, rolling his head to the other side.

"Jermaine!" Frustration taking over, Jack slapped Jermaine's cheek hard. "WAKE UP, ROOKIE!" 

"OW! Okay, OKAY, I'm up!" Slapping Jack's hands away with a frown, Jermaine sat up, rubbing his cheek as he faced the other boy. "Damn! You don't gotta be so pushy, man!"

Jack stared, running his eyes over Jermaine's body, searching for any sign of injury. But there wasn't any. There was no blood, no bruises, no hint of the hit Jermaine had taken from Pandabubba earlier. There wasn't even a single scratch on him. "Are you...okay?" Jack cautiously asked, poking Jermaine in the shoulder to make sure he was real.

"No!" snapped Jermaine, edging away. "You SLAPPED me, dawg, how would I be okay?!"

"But...Pandabubba..."

Jermaine stared back at Jack, trying to understand what he meant. But as he mulled over Jack's words, the events from earlier hit him all at once, and he lifted up his shirt, looking down at his stomach and running his fingers over his chest. Nothing hurt. The broken ribs he had felt earlier...were FINE now. He looked back up at Jack, down at his chest, then whirled around in circles, looking around. "J-Jack, where's Timber?!"

"S-She...!" began Jack, but he didn't finish the sentence. Soon both boys were splashing around the tree, searching for any sign of the girl and calling out her name. Jermaine turned to Jack, grabbing him by the shoulders. "Yo, she was hurt BAD the last time we saw her!" he cried, beginning to fear the worst. He grabbed onto Jack's wrist and led him out of the curtain-like branches of the willow tree, splashing through the water as fast as he could. "We gotta find her, before she-"

But as soon as they ran out from under the tree....there she was.

She was standing waist-deep in the water, stripped down to her undershirt and leggings, her back turned to them as she stared out at the cityscape in the distance. The sky was turning pink as the sun rose over the park they were in, illuminating Hong Kong in the golden glow of dawn. She was clearly captivated by the view, framing the scene with her fingers as she tried to capture the perfect shot in her mind. Under her breath, she sang to herself. _"How long baby have I been away...Feels like ages but they say it's only days...There ain't language for the things I've seen....Yeah....And the truth is stranger than my own worst dreams....."_

"TIMBER!"

Jolting out of her reverie, Timber turned just in time for the boys to come crashing into her.

"AAAH!" she screamed as they launched themselves at her with open arms, and the three of them went tumbling into the water. They surfaced together, coughing up pond water before the boys bombarded the poor girl with question after question, their voices overlapping as they pulled her to her feet. "Are you okay?!" cried Jermaine, looking her over. "Is anything broken?! Twisted?! How do you-?!"

"Wait, should you even be standing up?!" interrupted Jack. "I saw you limping earlier, don't hurt yourself any more than you already are-!"

"-internal bleeding, body aches, anything?!-"

"-he hit you WITH A PIPE, do you have head trauma, how many fingers am I holding up?!-"

Timber watched with wide eyes as the two babbled on and on, waiting for them to come to a stop before finally speaking. "...Good morning," she said slowly. "You woke up. It's about time." Pulling out her cigarettes, she stuck one in her mouth and lit it with a lighter she had found earlier, looking the boys up and down. "So, how are you feeling?"

Jermaine stared at her for a beat before slapping the cigarette out of her hands.

"No! My nicotine!" she cried as she dived forward to catch it, but it fell in the pond water as he grabbed her by the shoulders. "We ain't got time for mind games, Timber!" he snapped worriedly. "This is SERIOUS! You're really, really hurt, and-!"

"Was."

He paused, and she gently pushed his hands away. "I WAS really hurt. And now-" She turned around in a circle. "I'm all better."

Jermaine looked her up and down, shaking his head slowly in disbelief. "H-how is that possible?"

Timber looked over his shoulder, moving past Jermaine and walking towards Jack. His eyes widened as she lifted his chin up to inspect a cut he had on the side of his face. "Missed a spot," she muttered as she dipped her hands in the pond water. "Here." She ran her wet fingers over Jack's cut. "That oughta do the trick."

Jack stared back at her, confused, but over her shoulder he could see Jermaine freeze in shock. Jack looked down at his reflection, and did a double take when he saw his cut glowing, then shrinking until it disappeared completely. He ran his hand over his skin, but there was nothing there. "W-what just happened?!" he heard himself ask.

"I...healed you?" Timber shrugged, hugging herself awkwardly as she looked away. "You're welcome?"

"Heal us? Wait!" Jack cried, shaking his head. "You can do that?!"

"Yeah. I healed all of us actually. That's why I brought you here." She splashed the water gently. "See?"

The boys looked down, and for the first time ever, they noticed that the water they were in was an unnatural, luminescent shade of green. Curious, Jermaine scooped some up in his hand to get a better look. It almost seemed to glitter in the light of morning, and as he turned to his surroundings, he caught sight of numerous leaves, twigs and flower buds floating around in the pond. They, too, seemed to sparkle, ever so softly. Jack grabbed a fat white blossom the size of his fist from the water, stroking its petals. "You...infused the water with the medicinal properties in the plants," he murmured. "That's...Canada, that's REALLY COOL."

"It's just a neat little side power," she replied, turning pink. "Nothing special." Timber yawned sleepily, stretching her arms over her head before she spoke again. "So, how are you feeling, boys?"

"I..." Jermaine looked down at himself. " I feel....a lot better, actually. More than I have in a long time."

"Yeah," murmured Jack. "Same."

Timber gave them a small smile. "Good to know."

And with that, she flopped backwards into the water.

"Canada?!"

"Yo, Kid!" cried Jermaine. "You good?!"

Moaning like a zombie as she bubbled up to the surface, Timber flung an arm over her eyes dramatically. "I need a smoooooooke."

Jack sighed and rubbed his temples. "Don't scare me like that, jeez."

Biting back a relieved laugh, Jermaine shook his head as she floated past the water lilies. "You know that stuff'll kill you, right?"

"Shut up," she whined, splashing him. "I've been up for hours healing both of you. I _deserve_ to sin a little, got it?"

"You've really been healing us for that long?" Jack rubbed the back of his neck as he looked down at her. "I gotta be honest, Canada. With your track record, I honestly would have expected you to have run off by now."

Timber sighed deeply. "Of course I stayed, Red. I wanted to make sure you two were okay." She opened her eyes and looked up at him. "I'm not a monster. I wasn't just going to let anyone else die because of me. That's why I saved you back at the Jade Forest." She closed her eyes again. "I don't...I don't like seeing other people get hurt."

To his surprise, Jack suddenly felt regret for his earlier remark, and he looked up into the sky, trying to think of what to say. "....Thanks," he said finally. "For...sticking up for me, I mean." He shuffled around awkwardly in the water. "I appreciate it."

"No problem, skeet," she mumbled. "Just try to stay out of trouble."

"Yeah? Good luck with that," laughed Jermaine, punching Jack lightly in the shoulder.

Jack rolled his eyes, but the side of his mouth quirked up into a smile nonetheless. His expression grew serious as the gears in his head started to turn. "What was that back there, anyways?" he asked. "We saw all your plants dying."

"That's because I was using my magic to keep them alive," she explained. "Plants don't just grow on concrete or brick, they need water, soil, all that other stuff, you know? The way I was using them, they were literally just growing out of the seeds I've been carrying. The only thing keeping them alive and moving was my own willpower, but...that only lasts for so long. That's why I came to this park. Because my plants can actually GROW here. And that uses up WAY less of my magic."

"So, earlier, you just ran out of power?"

"Basically." She opened one eye. "Why?"

"Then...how did you manage to heal us?"

Both of her eyes snapped open, and she turned red as she looked away. "Mmmmmmm," she groaned, her expression becoming pained and embarrassed.

"What?" asked Jermaine, as he watched her stand up in the water. "What did you do?"

"I...uh." She glanced at Jack. "I might have...borrowed his element," she confessed, smiling awkwardly.

The two boys stared at her for a beat before they spoke. _"What?!"_

"I-I gave it back right away!" she defended, holding her hands up. "I just borrowed it! I mean, no, I borrowed the POWER behind it! So it could power mine?! And I only did it long enough for me to get enough juice to heal us all! I gave it right back, I swear!" She looked to Jack, hands on her hips. "By the way, Red, how about you try not to go overboard with your magic again? Build up a tolerance before you go pulling a stunt like that, Jeez-us."

"What the heck are you talking about?!" asked Jack, completely bewildered. "I don't have powers, or magic! Or an...element?! I don't - " He threw up his hands. "I'm not a Xiaolin Dragon! I don't HAVE an element!"

"Hah hah! Right." Timber rolled her eyes. "Sure you don't!"

"I'm not kidding," said Jack, marching up to her with a glare. "Is this a joke?! Because if it is, it's not funny!"

Timber blinked at him, slowly understanding. "You...you don't remember?" she asked, tilting her head.

"Remember what?" asked Jermaine, confused.

"He-" She turned to him, throwing an arm around a surprised Jack. "Red here saved our skins last night! He - he did something with the metal in the parking lot after you went down. It was amazing!" She threw her hands up, her eyes shining. "There was a dragon, and then birds, and the lights were going crazy, and-!"

"Hold up, hold up," said Jermaine, eyes widening. "You said he made the metal move again?"

"YES! It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen!"

"...'Again?'" Jack raised an eyebrow at Jermaine. "What do you mean 'again,' Rookie? I've never moved metal before!"

"Yes, you have!" cried Jermaine. "Back at the warehouse! The chains! They flew off! They broke because of you! Jack..." Jermaine shook his head. "Go back to that moment and THINK."

"I-!" Jack faltered, the memory of the warehouse coming back to him, and as he went through every single part of what occurred then, the meaning behind it slowly, finally sunk in. "I..." He looked around at the other's stares, unable to think of anything to say. Jermaine was looking at him with an incredulous expression, and beside him, Timber crossed her arms like a proud parent, giving him a gentle smile. "You're an interesting guy, Jack Spicer."

"...And you're the Dragon of Wood," Jack answered, looking her up and down.

Timber nodded for five solid seconds before she shook her head. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Uh..." Jermaine let out a whistle as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "I guess we all got a lot to talk about," he murmured thoughtfully.

At that exact moment, all of their stomachs collectively let out a long, loud growl. They each looked down, and it suddenly dawned on them how very hungry they were. Finally, Jack sighed and shook his head. "You know what?" he said. "I think I know which park we're in. There's a street near here that's got some of the best restaurants in the city. Why don't we talk about this over breakfast?" He gave Jermaine a cheeky grin as he held up a wallet, fat with cash. "My treat."

"...Where did you get that?" asked Jermaine suspiciously.

"Stole it off of one of Pandabubba's mooks earlier," said Jack casually. "Don't you remember?"

"Ohh, that was a good idea!" cried Timber, kicking the water in frustration. "Why didn't I think of that?!"

"Eh, don't worry about it," answered Jack, ignoring Jermaine's disapproving eyes. "Not everyone can be as brilliant as me."

"Or as modest," cracked Jermaine. He crossed his arms, looking the two other teenagers up and down. "So now I've got two thieves to deal with now? Am I going to have to start chaperoning y'all everywhere you go? Because my babysitting rate is 15 bucks an hour. Per kid."

"Ugh! Stop guilt-tripping me! Would you just shut up and let me pay you back?! I owe you!"

Jermaine's eyebrows flew up at the sincerity in Jack's voice, and Jack turned red and began to stammer and look away. "W-well, what I mean is, we just went through, like, a WHOLE lot of bull," he babbled. "And you didn't have to stick by me for any of it, and I know we aren't technically supposed to be on the same side but....but..." He shoved his hands in his pockets and avoided Jermaine's gaze nervously, but when it became clear that Jermaine wouldn't look away, he shrank a little and looked back up at him. "I'm glad you're okay,” he murmured.

Jermaine stared at him for a moment, trying to process what he just said. “Uhhhh..?"

Jack huffed impatiently.“Listen, Jermaine," he snapped, "It’s been a long, _long_ night, and I refuse to process any of it until I get something in my stomach! Hong Kong street food is some of the best in the world! Come on." He jerked his head towards the city. "Let's grab some grub. Ugh, and maybe get you some new threads while we're at it." His nose wrinkled as he looked Jermaine up and down. "You’re a hot mess."

Jermaine's surprised face cracked open into a big smile, and he threw his arm around the surprised redhead. “Hey, thanks, man!”

Jack gave him a dorky smile before looking over at something behind him. Jermaine followed his gaze to where Timber was standing a few feet away, braiding her hair absentmindedly. Jack cleared his throat to get her attention. "Hey, Cana -....Timber?"

Timber looked back at him, broken out of her thoughts. The redhead shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. "You coming?”

Her eyes grew wide, but she didn't answer. At least, not coherently. "I - wh- huh?"

Her speechlessness seemed to ignite something in Jack, and his face flushed red again as he began to babble. “I-I mean technically, you DID sort of save my life - twice! - so...I might as well feed you, too." When she still didn't answer, he shrugged his shoulders and began to lose his temper. "D-Do you want to come eat with us or not?! I’m not gonna wait around all day for you! I’ll leave you here!" His eyes flickered nervously around for a moment. “I will!”

Timber opened and closed her mouth, unable to believe that this was actually happening, that this wasn't just some cruel joke. Finally, when it became clear that she needed a little push, Jack huffed impatiently and awkwardly held his hand out to her. 

Realizing that his offer was genuine, Timber reached out and took his hand, giving him a shy smile.

Jack smiled back, and as he did, a voice behind Timber spoke. "I told you it would work."

Timber's smile faded away as she watched Jack and Jermaine freeze in place, the color bleeding away from the world as the scent of peaches hit her hard. The Crown of the Monkey King glowed brightly underneath her hat, and her shadow materialized into the same red-eyed figure from before. Sun clapped her on the shoulder, laughing proudly. "See, what did I tell you?" he said, elbowing her in the ribs. "After everything you went through together, it's no wonder Jin and this Xiaolin brat have a weakness for you now. Especially since you patched them up." Sun leaned forward, staring Jermaine right in the eye and baring his fangs. "Jin's always had a kind heart, but this boy? What an idiot! It's a miracle this gullible little fool managed to survive this long, eh, Sweet Pea?"

Sun turned back, his laughter fading away when he saw that Timber was completely silent, staring straight ahead at Jermaine with a pained expression on her face. Her eyes met Sun's and she hurriedly looked away, but Sun was already turning around to her once more. "What's the matter?" he asked, throwing his arms up. "Why the long face?"

Timber didn't answer, nor did she need to. Sun looked between her and the two boys, still frozen in time and smiling at Timber. "Oh, I see what's going on." Sun knelt in front of the girl, tipping her chin up so her eyes would meet his. "Don't try to hide it from me, Timber. I've known you for years. You feel guilty, don't you?"

Again, Timber didn't answer. Sun nudged her gently. "You wanna talk about it, Sweet Pea?"

The girl took a deep breath before speaking. "I know where he stands," she said, looking at Jermaine. "And you know where I stand. I'll always support you Sun, and your enemies - the Xiaolin? - they're my enemies too. But...." Her eyes softened. "He saved my life. And we're just..." She shook her head and corrected herself. " _I'm_ just using him."

The figure looked at her in surprise before bursting out into loud, raucous laughter. Wiping a tear away from his eye, he threw an arm over her. "Honey, what makes you think he wouldn't use you if the shoe was on the other foot?"

Timber looked sideways at him. "W-what?"

Sun rolled his eyes and scoffed. "Do you really believe all those lies he spits out? All that sentimental, sugar-coated nonsense he feeds you at every given opportunity?" Sun chuckled and shook his head as his eyes narrowed in disdain. "Timber, baby, you are sweet, but Gods above, you are _STUPID._ Do you really think he'd consider you worth protecting if you weren't the one person he was looking for? Do you actually think he cares about you as a person? He doesn't. He _can't._ " Sun stood up and crossed his arms. "We've gone over this before, cupcake. Humans are terrible creatures. They are selfish, they are cruel, and at the first opportunity, they will cheat and steal and _step all over each other_ just to get what they want."

Timber was silent for a moment, looking back at Jack and Jermaine for a moment. "....I-"

"You don't believe me?" accused Sun as he bent down and brought his face close to hers.

"N-no," she stuttered nervously, taking a step back, "That's not it, Sun, it's just-"

"Oh, COME ON, Sweet Pea!" yelled Sun. "I know you're more of an artist than a student, but you gotta have SOME brain cells in that pretty little head of yours. USE THEM. Oy vey!" Groaning dramatically, Sun ran a hand over his face. "Let's go off of your past experiences, shall we? Name one person who stood by you when things really got rough. When everything in your life started to fall apart."

Timber swallowed, but didn't answer.

"Come on," he pressed, challenging her with his eyes. "One person. Give me one name, and I'll take it all back."

Timber looked down, shrinking a little as she hugged herself. "...I-I can't," she muttered.

"What was that?" he asked, cupping a hand to his ear theatrically. "I didn't quite catch that."

Timber let out a deep breath and scrunched her eyes shut, speaking louder. "...I **CAN'T-** "

"That's _right!"_ shouted Sun, shooting back up and applauding her condescendingly. "You _can't. Because there weren't any._ " He began to circle her like a shark, staring down at her mercilessly. "When your whole world was turned upside down, who was there for you? Your classmates? No. They labeled you a pariah and avoided you like the plague. School got pretty hard after a while, didn't it? There's a reason why you kept cutting class."

Timber burned with humiliation, her hands beginning to twitch. "S-stop," she murmured.

But Sun pressed on. "How about your neighbors?" He shook his head and grinned viciously. " _Nope!_ They spread rumors about you behind your back and had the audacity to pretend to care about you while they did! So did the teachers! And so did the rest of those people you used to call 'friends' when you were little. The pub owners, the lighthouse keeper, all of the fisherman who used to work with your father. Even that police officer, what was her name?" Sun thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "Officer Murphy. She was always going on about how you could 'come to her' if you needed someone to talk to." Sun narrowed his eyes. "But did she ever actually _listen_ to you when you did?"

"Sun, _please stop_ ," begged Timber, growing more and more distressed.

But Sun continued to ignore her, smiling at the effect he was having on her. "And then...there's your brothers."

Timber froze.

"Kallik and Hanta," mused Sun, turning his back to her. "You three used to be close." He snickered. "You _are_ triplets, after all. I still remember the stories you used to tell me about all the adventures you'd have together. You and your brothers were the best of friends." He turned to look at her. "What happened to that?"

Timber stayed silent, her hair obscuring her face. Sun walked up to her, bending down and lowering his voice. "They told you that they'd always be there for you. Where were they when things started to go from bad to worse?" He narrowed his eyes. "Where were they when your mother tried to-?"

_"SHE'S NOT MY MOTHER!"_

Sun raised an eyebrow as Timber snapped, breathing hard as she glared up at him. "She's not my mother!" she repeated, her eyes full of tears. "And they aren't my brothers, not anymore! We-!" Her voice broke as she looked away. "We haven't been a family since Dad died."

The moment she spoke those words, something in her seemed to break. Her face crumpled as she began to cry, covering her face and shaking with the force of her sobs. Sun brought his arms around her, letting her cry into his chest for a long, long time. After she finally calmed down, he spoke again. "Humans are selfish, manipulative creatures," he said quietly. "It's a hard pill to swallow, but it's the truth. Very few of them are actually capable of being kind and genuine. Your father was one of them." He tipped her chin up, brushing the last of her tears away. "You're one of them."

She sniffed and leaned into his touch as he cupped her face gently, like a father soothing his child. He bent down a little closer. "Don't trust people, Sweet Pea. None of them are worth your time. The only person in this whole wide world that cares about you right now is me. Trust ME, Timber. Trust ONLY me. Okay, sweetheart?"

"Yes, sir," murmured Timber.

"Good girl." Sun patted her head and stepped back. "Timber...my time with you is almost up." He looked back at Jack an Jermaine, still frozen in place. "Remember what we talked about earlier. You need to stay with these two. I know I told you before that they would be your downfall, but things have changed. It is absolutely imperative that you pretend to be their friend. Don't let them out of your sight, even for a second. Get close to Jermaine. Do whatever you have to do to gain his trust." He narrowed his eyes at the boy, inspecting him closely. "He boasts his loyalty to the Xiaolin, but if what Panda Breath said is true...if he is Chase Young's Apprentice...then sooner or later, he will lead you to his master." He looked back at Timber. "You find Chase Young, you find the Axe of the Ancients. Bring me that, and you'll have what you need to free me and fulfill your promise."

"Do you really think that's going to work, though?" Timber played with her braids nervously. "How do you know his Chase Young is YOUR Chase Young? I mean, if that's true, then, that would have to make him hundreds and hundreds of years old!"

"Chase Young," said Sun dismissively, "Was what your generation would refer to as a 'Basic Bitch.'" Sun paused to make quotation marks with his fingers. "Wholly unoriginal, wholly uninspired, essentially just a cheap dollar-store knock off of me. But even he still had enough of a personality to have his own fears. I remember them well. He never was fond of the idea of dying, or growing old and weak." Sun shrugged and gestured towards himself. "I found immortality. I suppose Chase did the same."

Timber absorbed his words slowly, then looked over to Jack. "What about him?" she asked.

Sun looked at Jack for a long, long time, his eyes softening and growing distant. "...Keep an eye on him for me," he answered finally. "Protect him. No matter what happens, no matter how hard things get, do not let any harm come to Jin."

"Why-?"

_**"JUST DO IT, TIMBER!"** _

Timber took a step back as Sun loomed over her, his eyes burning like hellfire. She trembled in fear, even as he shrank back to his normal size and coughed awkwardly into his hand. "Sorry," he apologized.

"I-It's okay," said Timber, trying to steady her breathing. "It was m-my fault for pushing you too far. I shouldn't have questioned you."

"Yeah," said Sun, picking his nose distractedly. "You gotta work on that."

"I won't do it again." Turning back to Jack, Timber's face grew resolute. "Don't worry, Sun. I'll keep him safe."

"I know you will," said Sun, ruffling her hair affectionately. "He's important to me, Timber. More than you could ever understand." Letting out a long deep breath, he looked up into the sky. "Time's up, Sweet Pea."

Timber nodded. "I'll get you that Axe, Sun. Even if it kills me." She smiled. "I won't let you down."

"You're my best friend, and my most trusted student. I love you, Timber," he said softly. His eyes narrowed. **"Don't mess this up."**

"Timber....Timber?"

Suddenly, someone's fingers came right into Timber's field of vision, and they snapped loudly, making her jump. "Hey! Is anyone in there?!"

"W-what?!" Timber blinked and shook her head, and suddenly, the noise and color came rushing back into the world. She was left staring blankly at Jack and Jermaine, who were both eyeing her in concern. "W-were we just talking right now?" she asked stupidly.

"You just blanked out on us," said Jermaine, stepping forward. "We were asking you what you felt like eating and you just...stared into nothing and didn't move, for like....a long time." His eyes narrowed. "You sure you're feeling okay?"

Timber stared at him for a beat before she nodded. "Yeah, I-I'm fine Chief, she stuttered, playing with her braid self-consciously.

Jack eyed her twitching hands for a moment before he let out a breath and put his arm around her. "Come on. Let's get some food in you before you pass out, dummy."

"Sounds like a plan," she laughed, giving him a grateful smile.

He gave her a friendly grin in return. But when his gaze met Jermaine's raised eyebrow, he shoved her away and turned to him. “Alright, alright! Wipe that smirk off your face, Henchman! I'm not doing this because I care about her, don't get the wrong idea!"

"I didn't say anything, man," said Jermaine, crossing his arms and smirking shamelessly at the flustered redhead.

"L-listen, as I've stated before, we are NOT friends! This is just...a truce! The second we're done eating, she's my nemesis again!”

Timber stopped walking, looking back at Jack. "I-I'm your _what,_ now?"

"My...you know!" Jack shrugged, motioning with his hands. "You're my nemesis! You're my mortal enemy!"

For a moment, Timber mulled over the meaning of those words, trying to push down the stinging sense of guilt in her chest. In the end, she just gave him a teasing grin, forcing herself to act casual. "Wow," she answered, tucking her hair behind her ear and batting her eyelashes. "I didn't think I meant that much to you, Red."

Jack sputtered indignantly for a moment before turning a vivid magenta. "OH MY G-! " he groaned, running a hand over his face. "You _don't,_ you don't matter to me at all, that's the whole concept of-!"

"Yeah, Spicer," interrupted Jermaine, leaning up against Timber and playing along. "I mean, come on, what are you trying to say?"

The two watched as Jack began to short fuse, his face turning redder than his hair. "How dare you insinuate-?! D-don't encourage this, you-! _STOP BEING MEAN!_ " he finished, stomping his foot like an angry toddler.

Timber and Jermaine looked at each other before bursting out into laughter. Jack, overwhelmed and glowing like a stoplight, screamed in frustration before latching on to each of their wrists. "Come on!" he snapped.

As Jack ranted and raved at them angrily, Timber looked over at Jermaine, watching him curiously and thinking over what Sun had told her earlier. When the New Yorker caught her staring, he gave her a wink and a grin that sent a flush across her face and a flutter through her stomach. Flustered and caught off-guard, she hurriedly looked away and pretended to be invested in Jack's speech on the art of being evil. Jack chattered on as the sun rose over Hong Kong, and right before they left the park, Timber took one last look back at her shadow stretching out behind her.

She couldn't see Sun's eyes anymore.

But she knew he was watching all the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> songs that inspired this chapter, and the scenes they inspired:
> 
> First Light by Lindsey Stirling (Timber moments, emotional moments): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCOr7_cQkGQ
> 
> Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (Remix) by Squallz (Timber's fight scenes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLw1Suutago
> 
> Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (Remix) by Spitfya (Timber's fight scenes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raok1_I2ZY8
> 
> Warrior's Dance, by The Prodigy (Jack goes into the avatar state): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ac8khiLO-JE
> 
> Oogway Ascends, from the Kung Fu Panda soundtrack (Jack goes into the avatar state): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtMnDmuhKQs
> 
> Everything Evil, by Coheed and Cambria (final confrontation with Pandabubba): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmV3pXm5juU
> 
> Koto by Klozee (chase scenes): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QvMcQ2Eejo
> 
> The Golden Mask, by Klozee (Sun): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA0JaHdovbI
> 
> Meet Me In The Woods, by Lord Huron (ending, Timber's song): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJOsLdBqbPA 
> 
> Shaolin by Grillabeats (Chase's scene, Kim and Rai's scene, Omi and Clay's scene): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxaKAjNXI4U
> 
> Touch, by ryoga (ending): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzfzAiivBnI
> 
> The Name of Life, from the movie Spirited Away (ending scene): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImPM5IDIYPs
> 
> What's Up Danger, from the Spiderverse soundtrack (Jermaine moments): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ySsibgoigE
> 
> The Boogie, from the Spiderverse soundtrack (Jermaine moments): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bmKJcHTA2E
> 
> The Dragon Boy, from the movie Spirited Away (Timber saves Jack/Jermaine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CzIuBo2p-g
> 
> Dark Doo Wop, by Ms Mr (the very end of the chapter. also Timber's 'theme song' and the ship song for Timber/Jermaine): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0iv8XRooDI


End file.
